


Cabin Seven

by synthetic_blossoms



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Slow Build, it was light angst but idk yall stuff happens, no worries you will get your fluff fix by the end, the angst gets worse as time passes? idk???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-06-07 01:17:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 80,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6779140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synthetic_blossoms/pseuds/synthetic_blossoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mingyu’s only at this camp because his mom wants him to work, while Wonwoo is here because he needs an escape from the life at home he so dreads. Neither of them expect to have such a unique summer. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Crossposted on aff - same title, same author name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Cabin Seven

The first thing Mingyu noticed when he flung the car door open was the unmistakable scent of dew covered trees, and the humidity already sticking his t-shirt to his skin. He groaned, looking all around him. Underneath him, browning pine needles were crunching as he stepped on them. Almost immediately, he noticed the presence of aggravating small bugs flying around his eyes, poking at him like his annoying little brother.

His mother was the next one to exit the car, tired from driving such a long distance, and a bit sorrowful that she would be leaving her ‘big baby’ for a full ten weeks. Mingyu had never spent so much time outside of the house before, and he wasn’t exactly too pleased either.

“Come on, Mingyu, let’s get the stuff out of the car, and get you to the main office quickly. I promised grandma I’d be back in time to finish cleaning out her garage for her!” Mingyu’s mother said, rushing to the back of the car, and promptly popping open the trunk.

Mingyu swatted a few of the annoying bugs out of his eyes before doing the same. The area was expectedly empty, since the young campers weren’t due for another week. To the left of the wide, dirt path that cars drove up on was a huge lake, a cloudy mix of green and blue, and it was about the only that looked amusing to Mingyu so far.

He looked to the right, rereading the giant sign hanging over the entrance of the camp. 'Camp Joyrenity' was painted in large, gold lettering. "What a stupid name," Mingyu muttered under his breath. He remembered the brochure's explaination from weeks before, supplied to him as he was filling out the application. _'One cup of Joy plus one of cup of serenity makes for one brilliant summer filled with fun and excitement for your young campers at Camp Joyrenity!'_

“Stupid camp.” He grumbled to himself. “Stupid name, stupid job…stupid-“

“Mingyu, please stop talking to yourself and finish taking everything out.” His mother quickly interrupted him, pulling out one of the duffel bags from the trunk.

As she requested, he began to take out the remainder of his belongings, another duffle bag, and  three smaller backpacks. Mingyu rolled his eyes, unsure of why his mother believed he would need so much stuff for ten weeks when he would be trapped in the wilderness anyways. He wiped his sweaty, sticky hands on sides of his cargos and slammed the trunk shut.

His mother had disappeared into the Main Office Cabin, presumably to deal with paperwork, so he took a moment to further observe his surroundings. This is where he would be for the next ten weeks, whether he liked it or not.

Nothing could be heard but a few birds cawing, splashes of water from somewhere in the distance, and maybe a frog croaking too. Involuntarily, he reached into his pocket, pulling his phone out, only to remember a place like this had absolutely no service. Groaning for the umpteenth time, Mingyu slammed his hand on the window of his mother’s car.

He should’ve been home with Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and the rest of the basketball team. He should’ve been getting ready to get wasted, have fun at some random bonfire party, or even just sit on a friend’s couch and play video games until his hands were red and close to numb. He should’ve been within radius of a town with actual self-phone reception, but instead, he was here.

Leaning against the car, Mingyu thought of all the fun his friends were about to have, but tried to contain his negativity. His purpose here was genuinely in his mother’s best interest, and even though he had to sacrifice a summer he felt he deserved, some things were more important.

Not after too long, his mother reappeared with a few papers in hand, coaxing him her way. She stopped to count the bags, then said, “Don’t forget to say goodbye to your brother. You won’t see him for 10 weeks you know.”

Dropping all the bags once again, Mingyu grunted, yet complied with his mother’s wish. Opening the car door once more, he popped his head in and tapped his eight-year-old brother on the head.

Taehyung was half asleep and currently rolling out of an uncomfortable position, with his Nintendo DS lying on his chest.

Mingyu couldn’t say he was exactly sad to leave him behind. After listening to him sing AOA’s Heart Attack twelve times in a row in the backseat during the car ride, and witnessing him spill orange juice everywhere, he was just barely tolerating him.

“Wh-Whaaaaat?” He blinked, opening his small eyes to meet his brothers.

“I’m out of here. Bye squirt,” He quickly muttered out. If anyone asked, Mingyu would deny missing his brother, but he knew it would be hard not to, even if Taehyung was the one who slapped his face to wake him up every time he was late for school.

“Already? I thought the ride would be longer!” Taehyung, now more awake, said as he exited the car, clutching onto Mingyu’s sticky clothes to hug him. He was a brat all right, but he was still his brother.

Mingyu wrapped his arms around his smaller body, picking him up before saying, “Be good to Mom, okay? She has enough to worry about. Since I’m not around, you’re going to have to play prince charming.” 

Glancing at her, Mingyu noticed her dark circles were more prominent than usual, probably since she had to wake up even earlier to drive him two hours away from their city to camp, and her mix of gray and deep brown hair was slightly unkempt. He was half glad she didn’t have to worry about him the next couple of weeks, so maybe she’d have less on her plate, and be able to better take care of herself. He just hoped him being away wouldn’t cause her to worry even more.

Taehyung nodded robotically before hopping down and re-entering the car.

Next, his mother, who was nearly a foot shorter than him, came up to him and pinched his cheek in an adoring way. Mingyu was silently grateful there was no one around, because if his teammates saw, he wouldn’t live it down for weeks.

“It’ll be over before you know it,” she said in a warm voice.

He could tell that she was getting emotional as she wiped a forming tear out of the corner of one of her tired eyes.

“Just do what you’re supposed to and we won’t have any problems. Behave!” She said, turning his straying cheek towards her to face him again.

“Alright! Alright,” he grumbled, cheeks turning red from the mix of heat and the overdone affection.

“I should get going…”His mother crouched up as much as she could, nearly on her tip toes, and hugged her eldest son. “Have fun. Don’t forget I love you,” she whispered.

Quickly glancing around to see if anyone was watching, Mingyu quickly replied to his mom in a low voice, so fast it sounded more like “loveyoutoo,” than “love you too.”

“Just go into the office and the girl at the reception will guide you from there!” His mother called as she entered the car, closing the door behind her. Within minutes, her van was slowly zooming away, leaving nothing but a trail of dirt, and Mingyu behind.

 

* * *

            Inside of the office, a girl named Joohyun handed Mingyu a bunch of paperwork, and a neon green clipboard. She appeared to be a few years older than him, petite with messily tied brown hair.

“Your room assignment should be on the first page of the clipboard. There’s a mandatory counselor’s meeting in 3 hours, but don’t worry. If you forget, the PA system will surely remind you.” Within an instant, Joohyun had vanished from her spot in front of him, already in the backroom.

Mingyu skimmed through the papers quickly. “Counselor’s Manual, Schedule, First Aid Guide, Privacy agreement, etc.” Some of them required a signature, but since Joohyun didn’t say anything he figured he’d just to turn them in later.

Exiting the small wooden Main Cabin, Mingyu began to walk up the path leading to the housing cabins, marked by a mahogany sign with gold lettering reading “HOUSING.” His shirt clung to his chest, and he could’ve sworn a puddle of sweat had already dripped from his head down his neck. A mosquito came out of nowhere a few times during his walk, and poked into his skin. With all he was carrying, he just couldn’t swat it. Struggling with the large amount of bags, Mingyu tripped over a rock, tumbling down along with each and every one of his belongings. “Fuck.” He grumbled, sitting lifelessly in the dirt. “Just what I needed.” He didn’t want to get up and face the dumb job his mother begged him to take. All he wanted was a cold soda, cold shower, and cell phone service, even if it was one measly bar.

He remained on the ground, wallowing in his own self-pity, until someone called out to him. “Hey! Hey!”

Swinging his head around, Mingyu saw a kid, probably around his age, walking in his direction. When he arrived, he offered him a hand, which Mingyu, in no condition to decline, graciously accepted.

“Need some help?” The boy asked. Some help was an understatement. “It’s kind of odd that you’ve got so many bags in the first place.”

Before Mingyu could decline, the boy was already picking up a backpack and duffle bag, while Mingyu went for the remaining items. “It was my mom’s idea.”

“Ah.” He mouthed, “First timer.”

“That obvious?”

“Kind of,” the boy laughed to himself a bit. “What cabin are you assigned to?”

Mingyu looked down at the clipboard again, scanning until he saw “CABIN 7” in bold, bright pink marker. “Seven.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Same cabin as me.” The boy said, and began to lead the way.

They walked in silence; Mingyu still inspecting the area with open eyes. Unlike the front of the camp, the housing cabins seemed more or less groomed, each about the size of the average garage made entirely of wood, with a screen door. The cabins were elevated and wooden steps leading up to the door.

The boy before him was only slightly shorter, with a head full of smooth, black hair that clung to his sweaty forehead. He had a noticeably chiseled jawline, and Mingyu pictured him as the kind of smart, quiet, bookworm type that girls in school still swooned over because he was just that handsome.

They climbed up the steps, and the boy kicked the door open, welcoming him into his home for the next ten weeks.

“This is cabin seven.” He said blanking, dropping each belonging carefully onto the floor. “By the way, I’m Wonwoo.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all you really need to know is that this fic is a slow build so things take a while to gear up, and that a few essential female characters appear here and there (Yerim most of all) 
> 
>  
> 
> hope you enjoy!


	2. The New Face of Torment

Upon entering, Cabin Seven was already occupied by three other counselors, all males. Against each wall was a set of bunk beds. There were also two windows on each wall, allowing specs of light to peak through leaves brushing against them. The only other things in the room were a light hanging from the ceiling, three dressers, a thrifty coffee table, and two older looking beanbags in the corners.

Mingyu inhaled deeply, observing each side of the room. _This is where I’ll be for ten weeks_ , he thought to himself. Feeling Wonwoo’s expectant eyes gazing at him, he remembered to reply back, “I’m Mingyu. Kim Mingyu.” He dropped belongings on the ground too.

“Nice. Guys, this is Mingyu.” Wonwoo announced to the remaining three, who seemed to have little interest.

One with prominent lavender hair laid flat on his back, headphones popped in. He nodded his head up and down, eyes closed as his mind drifted away with the song he listened to.

Another was busy folding shirts, and placing them into one of the three medium-sized dressers within the room.

The last counselor, and noticeably the youngest, was struggling to fit the bed covers he’d brought along on his bed.         

“Jisoo will probably want to bunk with Jihoon, so just take any bunk on the left wall. We can share it.” Wonwoo offered.

The room seemed bigger from the outside, but knowing six people were assigned to a single confined area suddenly made it seem much smaller. Mingyu never had to deal with sharing a room with anyone, even his younger brother slept in the much smaller room next to his. The beds were twin sized, much to Mingyu's displeasure, so it didn't matter which bunk he took. Either way, he'd be cramming his legs in trying to fit properly. Deciding it was too much work to take the top bunk, he settled for the bottom, which Wonwoo didn’t mind.

“That’s Chan.” He pointed to the boy who had been fitting the bed covers on his bed earlier. “He’s a first timer too.” 

Motioning to the kid lying flat on his back, blocking out the world in a way Mingyu figured was pretty smart, Wonwoo said, “That’s Jihoon. He’s been here just as long as I have, four years.” 

“And that,” Wonwoo started, pointing the kid folding his shirts, “is Hansol. It’s his second year, so he’s pretty familiar with the place too. Only person missing from the room is Jisoo, but he’s been here for so long that he can afford to come late.”

Wonwoo wasted no time explaining the dynamics of the cabin, informing Mingyu of the two-drawer rule, and the rest of his belongings were to go in a plastic bin that was slid under the bunk bed. 

_No wonder no one brings this much shit_ , Mingyu thought. They barely had enough room to store one backpack's worth of stuff.

“You can just unpack, or lie around, or something. Orientation isn’t for another few hours.” Wonwoo mentioned in an easy tone, and within minutes he had exited the cabin, leaving Mingyu alone with the three other strangers.

Realizing none of them wre going to speak any time soon, Mingyu began to unpack some of his belongings, deciding which clothes he’d want to keep out most, and which he would store away. They all smelled like the detergent his mother used, reminding him of home straight away. Still, Mingyu had no choice but to attend the camp. Despite every ounce of not wanting to be here, Mingyu owed it to her.

As he dumped the contents of one backpack onto his bed, a neon paper flashed in the corner of his eyes. Sliding his belongings, mostly some baseball caps and hygiene products, Mingyu looked for the slip of paper. Once he located, he skimmed it, smiling at its words.

_“Every time you have a bad day, look at this note and remember that I love you!”_

_\- Mom_

Taehyung had scribbled his name messily in parenthesis, and doodled a few things Mingyu couldn’t particularly make out.

_I can do this_ , He thought. _For mom and Taehyung._ He stuck the sticky note on the wall right next to his pillow, safely in his plane of vision.

Rummaging through the stuff a bit more, he also found a few photos his mom probably threw in. One was of the basketball team, the shot where Seungcheol held the District Finals First Place trophy in his hands and the rest of the team surrounded him. Everyone gleamed with happiness since their entire season of hard work proved to pay off in the end.

The other was fraying and had bent corners, but it showed an equally-as-happy shot as the last: Mrs. Kim, Taehyung, and Mingyu all standing at their local festival. The Ferris wheel sat in the background, bringing Mingyu back to that day in an instant. He was much younger, maybe twelve, and Taehyung just a tot, but they all looked so full of life. Even his mother was sporting a genuine smile Mingyu hadn’t recalled seeing in so long.

As everyone else in the cabin silently went about their business, Mingyu lay back on his bed, still clutching the photo. His mind was filled with images of basketball, an ice-cold glass of soda, and driving around with Seungcheol, so peacefully until he fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

Hours later, Mingyu felt his body begin shaken, as he groggily opened his eyes. For a moment he, he expected to see Taehyung hovering over him, but remembered where he was as soon as the lavender-haired kid Wonwoo called 'Jihoon' slapped his shoulder. “Get up kid, we have orientation.”

The others had already fled the cabin, and Jihoon was making his way out as well.

Mingyu slipped on his sneakers, wondering for a moment if it mattered whether he was late or not, but he figured if he wanted to stay the full ten weeks, he had to at least try to make an effort. Following the crowd of other counselors, Mingyu walked up the dirt path, in the opposite direction of the Main Cabin. It was starting to get dark outside, air growing a bit more comfortable instead of incredibly hot, but the humidity still cloaked over the woods around him.

The other counselors appeared to range in ages from as young as middle schoolers to as old as full-grown adults. Mingyu was too lazy to count, so he just followed along, trying to appreciate some of the scenery. It was difficult to find the beauty in tree after tree and bushes growing uncontrollably. 

Everyone was entering the Mess Hall, a large room filled with seven rows of long, wooden lunch tables like the ones in primary schools, and of course, the buffet-style tables that normally held food. Most counselors seemed familiar with each other already, as they sat around friends, filling the room with laughter and idle chatter. 

Mingyu looked around hazily, still out of it from the nap, and just from being here in general, and saw Wonwoo waving his hand toward him. He sat with the other boys from their cabin towards the front of the hall.

Despite the influx of people blocking the paths in between each, Mingyu successfully managed to make it within meters of the table. The destination was just in fingertip's reach, until he felt himself fly forward and directly into the wood floor. Had he stuck his arms out a minute later, his nose would probably be sporting a nice, bright red scratch.

He shrugged it off, turning around only to see a younger girl laughing as she wiggled her foot, signaling that the fall hadn’t been an accident. “Watch where you’re going,” she advised in a playful tone. 

Mingyu rolled his eyes, shaking his head to shake off some of his sleepiness, and took a seat next to Wonwoo. He had clearly witnessed the entire spectacle, along with the rest of the group. Wonwoo was the only one not trying to cover up his laugher. 

“That’s Yerim,” Jihoon nodded at Mingyu, as they turned to look at her again. She was much shorter than he was (then again, who wasn’t), had golden-blonde hair that faded into pinkish-red tips, and teeny facial features that Mingyu could only describe as being “mousy.”

“It’s her second year here, and she’s a total pain in the ass. I see she's already taken quite the liking to you, so good luck dealing with that one.” Jihoon muttered before they were interrupted by the sound of a megaphone.

“Counselors! Welcome to our new friends joining us this year, and welcome back to all of our returning counselors. As you know, we’ve still got a week left before the campers come, but obviously a lot of preparation, so if you’re new, I expect you to get the hang of things quickly.” The man in the front churned out. He was an older male, like Joohyun, with a head of red hair, yet he looked kind of tiny, and had a name tag that read ‘Head Counselor Kihyun.’

The discussion was as boring as one of last year’s many Classic Literature lectures, ones Mingyu could hardly tolerate. His eyes roamed around the hall, looking at the different counselors, and more than once, he noted that girl—Yerim—staring at him. She seemed not to tear her glance apart either, completely unbothered by the fact he knew she was looking at her.

“You will be assigned blocks, where 5 other counselors will form a team with you. Together, you’re in charge of handling the thirty campers in your group. We’re working by the buddy system, so you will have rotational partners within your block, and you will each be in charge of ten campers each per day.” Joohyun, who appeared to be another head counselor herself, explained.

“The blocks are posted on the announcement board outside of the Mess Hall. We expect you guys to get along with everyone in your block, even if you can’t stand them! It isn’t about you; it’s about the campers.”

 

Soon enough, the meeting was dismissed—Mingyu only having absorbed about 6% of it—as everyone got up to exit the hall. They scrambled to check their block assignments on the bulletin board, Mingyu relieved to be assigned to 'Team C' with Wonwoo. That is, until he noticed Yerim was part of their team too. Even knowing little about her, he could tell she was someone to avoid.

“She’s not that bad,” Wonwoo mumbled. “Besides, you’ll probably only have to partner up with her once a week, at most.” 

Suddenly, Mingyu felt a hand scratch the back of his neck, causing him to whip around as he saw the new face of torment waddling beneath him. “Can’t wait to get to work, teammate,” she snickered before wandering off with a few other female counselors.

Mingyu’s teeth started to grit, tempted to yell something back until he remembered the pictures and sticky note. He was so glad his mother was his reason for working in the camp, because if she weren’t, he’d already be packed and running for the hills. 


	3. New Beginnings and Deceiving Appearances

The remainder of the week was filled with all sorts of preparation, from block meetings to teamwork exercises. It was like everything Mingyu had been taught on the courts was being reversed. Instead of drills, it was trust falling, playing minefield, and any other team-building game imaginable. Amazingly enough, he just _had_ to be partnered with Yerim for minefield. Everyone should’ve felt blessed they weren’t _actually_ on a minefield, because under the guidance of Yerim, Mingyu would’ve destroyed them within the first seven seconds of stepping onto the field.

Everyone was also required to attend first aid training and informational classes, reminding them of the dangerous types of plants and animals that were residing within the forest. Mingyu liked those seminars better; it was easier to remember something about poison ivy than trying to walk blindfolded to someone 15 feet away who couldn’t give directions. Plus, Wonwoo would help him differentiate any two things he was confused about.

“Wonwoo, how do you know so much about poisonous berries?” Mingyu asked him during one of their long, draining seminars. “It seems like you know more than the teacher himself.”

Pointing to one of the many books he had brought along, Wonwoo whispered, “Reading.”

With all the preparation for the campers, Mingyu nearly forgot they were the entire reason they were preparing in the first place. It seemed easy enough—dealing with a group of ten— and with a partner, it couldn’t be that hard.

 

* * *

 

Opening day for the campers approached within no time, and Mingyu and Wonwoo watched from the platform of the Main Office Cabin as the once empty campgrounds filled with more and more kids by the minute.

Mingyu saw kids of all ages and natures: kids crying and struggling to tear apart from their parents, and kids like himself, trying to avoid their parents’ mushy cheek kisses and warm hugs. The opening area was filled with screams, laughter, every noise possible; he knew the peace and quiet would be gone from this day forward.

The head counselors sat at tables, in charge of telling each child which team they were to report to, while Mingyu and the counselors were in charge of bringing each child to their cabin, and making sure they were all settled in well. Later, they would have a large group meal and a walk around the campgrounds so the campers could become a bit more familiarized with the area.

“Even if it takes four hours, stay as long as any child needs you.” Joohyun repeated to the counselors who still stood on the platform.

“We should go to our posts.” Wonwoo said, tapping Mingyu gently on the shoulder.

Yerim was already there, busy tying some girl’s sneakers. They were all required to wear the same color at all times so their campers could easily find them, but Mingyu couldn’t help feeling a little ridiculous in the bright neon-yellow shirts they had to wear that day.

Most of the kids came to the post without putting up a fight, until the last child of their thirty, was brought in carried by his father. The young boy would not stop crying, whining and tugging on his father’s shirt.

“Don’t make me stay daddy! I don’t wanna!” The boy must've been about six or seven from Mingyu’s guesses. Five would probably way too young for sleeping away from home, though the boy looked a bit tiny for the former ages. He turned away sharply, knuckles clinging to his father’s shirt as he purposely avoided Mingyu’s attempt at a warm glare.

“You were so excited on the ride here! It’ll be lots of fun, Minkyun! Please don’t give me a hard time. You’ll see.” The boy’s father set him onto the ground, turning him to face the other counselors. 

The older kids in the group were giggling, while some of the younger ones stood still, unsure of what to do. They seemed just as doe-eyed and laced with fear, but Mingyu could tell they were trying to be brave little sports.

Minkyun wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, sniffling as his father placed his backpack beside him. “You’re sad now buddy, but I bet in a week, you’ll forget all about daddy. By the time I come back, I bet you won’t even want to see me!”

Minkyun giggled, smiling as his father used a tissue to whip the snot off his face.

“Be a good boy, okay? If you ever get sad, I’m sure one of these nice older kids will help you. You can call me whenever you want.”

“Whenever?” Minkyun asked in a serious tone, with his puffy cheeks still red.

“Whenever. If you want to call in the middle of the night, I promise I’ll pick up. If you call during breakfast, dinner, even while I’m in the toilet, I promise I’ll pick up.” His father reassured him, and Mingyu couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay.” Minkyun mumbled, now straightening himself up a bit.

“Love you, buddy,” His father said, hugging him tightly, and Minkyun did the same.

“Take care of my boy, alright?” The father said to no counselor in particular, but

Mingyu could’ve sworn he saw him hold a slight glance on him. He waved goodbye to Minkyun once more and retreated, disappearing in the crowd of parents.

Looking over at Wonwoo, Mingyu couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw him trying to hide the fact he was tearing up.

Wonwoo looked way, staring in the direction of the blinding sun.

“Someone’s emotional…” Yerim whispered close to Mingyu’s ear, “You’d think he’d get used to it after three years, but I understand. It’s not exactly a fun time watching little kids get separated from their parents.”

Meanwhile, Minkyun stood silently in his spot, sniffling and clearly trying to stop himself from crying even harder than before. It was like he was looking at another Taehyung, who cried the same way when he was separated from their mother at that age.

Heck, he reminded him of Taehyung as an eight-year-old, never mind younger. Taehyung had a hard time being without her, and it was understandable, since she was the only parent they had in their lives. Their mother even asked Taehyung if he’d like to attend camp too, but Taehyung was quick to decline. Mingyu couldn’t blame him, remembering his response when his mother asked why.

_“Sorry mom, if I leave Seojun won’t have anyone to play with!”_

Mingyu knew there was more to it though. Who would want to be here when they could be at home, with mom’s cooking and air conditioning?

It couldn’t be easy, being a small child who spent every single day seeing a parent, and suddenly having to go nine weeks without seeing them even once. The other counselors on the team seemed to feel the air of sympathy themselves, fiddling with their hands awkwardly or distracted by other campers asking for help.

Mingyu began to inch away from Yerim, prepared to cheer up Minkyun in any possible. However, before he could make any move towards him, Wonwoo was already scooping him up in his arms and fixing his ruffled hair. “Minkyun? Is that your name?”

Minkyun nodded, still shedding a few tears.

“Wow, what an awesome, big boy name!” Wonwoo complimented him, leading Minkyun to immediately crack a smile. “Since you’ve got such an big boy name, I guess that means you’re gonna have to start doing big kid things, like being without your daddy in camp, right?”

With a shocked but almost hypnotized look in his eyes, Minkyun nodded.

“And don’t big boys and girls learn how to have fun away from home too?”

“Mhm!” Minkyun nodded again. “I can be a big kid!! I can have fun without daddy!” Minkyun said with assurance, loud enough for the other campers to hear too. It seemed as if the other children were listening with open ears, because Mingyu saw a few of them nod a little themselves, reassuring themselves they could have fun without their parents too.

Even the older kids in the group acknowledged the comment.

“Good.” Wonwoo smiled, signaling for Hyejeong—another counselor on Team C—to start lining up the rest of their campers as they prepared to walk everyone to their cabins. “As long as you try your very best not to be sad, I’ll make sure you have tons of fun here, okay?”

“Okay! ” Minkyun replied, wiping the last of his tears away.

Everyone began to make their way across the dirt path and away from the main area, except for Wonwoo and Minkyun.

“Helloooooo, earth to Mingyu!” Yerim yelled from behind him. “Let’s go!”

Shaking out of his temporarily trance, Mingyu couldn’t deny the fact he was a bit hypnotized himself. Jihoon mentioned something Wonwoo being pretty good with campers, but Mingyu just didn’t expect him to deal with them so smoothly, at least from what he knew about Wonwoo already. Granted, it wasn’t a lot, but still, it wasn’t what he pictured in his mind last week.

Wonwoo made an attempt to leave Minkyun settled in the dirt, however he clung to the neon shirt in the same fashion he did with his father. Wonwoo didn’t fight it, allowing him to mount on his back. He reached down to pick up his backpack, but Mingyu stopped him.

“It’s okay, I think you’re carrying enough weight right now,” Mingyu joked.

_I bet Taehyung would’ve actually liked it here, especially with a counselor like Wonwoo_ , Mingyu thought to himself before running after the group.

 

* * *

 

Team C successfully managed to get all campers to their cabins, and as they dropped more kids off, they lost more to stay behind and help the younger children out.

Minkyun still clung to Wonwoo’s back, with no signs of letting go, until Wonwoo had stopped in front of one of the bunks, mimicking the sounds of a car backing up as he allowed Minkyun to plop onto one of the beds.

Minkyun was delighted at the action, laughing so much his earlier tears were already long forgotten.

“I didn’t expect you to be so good with kids. You’re like a regular superman.”

Wonwoo cocked an eyebrow before replying, “You kind of have to be here. Plus, three years of practice seems to help a little.” Unzipping Minkyun’s backpack, he began to take some belongings out, listening as Minkyun described some of his toys that he had brought along.

Both of them stayed for a while, helping Minkyun and his cabinmates unpack their belongings, until one of the much older Head counselors came in to make sure everyone was settled and dismissed them until Lunch.

 

On the way back to cabin seven, Mingyu lost Wonwoo somewhere between the Mess Hall and the tennis courts. _Whatever, I’ll just find my way back myself_. Mingyu mumbled to himself.

Turning on the path, Mingyu clearly saw Yerim yet again, but instead of seeing her usual annoying and mocking face, she was smiling brightly at one of the younger campers, chatting heartily before pushing them in the direction of the bathroom. 

Yerim caught his glance, grinning back in the most irritating fashion.

Mingyu turned his head away at, hoping to avert any contact, but it was too late. She was already prancing across the dirt path to pinch Mingyu on the shoulder and yell, “Mingyu! My favorite counselor.” Her voice was teasing and even grating, making Mingyu regret bothering to look for even a second.

“How’d your first day as a glorified babysitter go?” She asked, removing her hand.

“It was okay. I don’t know why I didn’t expect to see so many crying kids before.”

“You get used to it,” Yerim replied, “Pretty soon you’re gonna be in the middle of the forest with no compass and two whiney seven-year-olds, and you’d better be able to deal with the crying yourself when that happens.”

Slightly appalled, he looked down at her. “Does that really happen?”

Yerim nodded in a matter-of-factly way. “More often than you think."

“Is everyone here but me good at dealing with kids?”

“That’s kind of the point, Mingyu.” Yerim stated. It should’ve been a no-brainer that camp counselors had to have some kind of interest in helping kids.

“Don’t be such a worrywart though, the kids only do something that could possibly get you fired at least….” She paused, faking thought, “twice a day.” Giggling, she began skipping off to the direction of her cabin. Mingyu couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.

 

_Great._ Mingyu thought. _For now, I’ll just make sure none the kids get seriously injured while I’m watching them._

It was like whenever he thought had one thing about the camp figured out, something new was knocking on the door.


	4. Playing Professionally

Feeling a cold and wet hand pinching his cheek, Mingyu began to awake. Cracks of sunlight peered through the screen door, shining straight into his eyes. He made his usual morning groan, flipping over on his bed before he saw Jihoon staring down at him in discontent.

“Don’t expect me to wake you up every fucking morning, Mingyu.” He said in annoyed tone. Mingyu had quickly learned, despite Jihoon’s warm and cherubic appearance, he was anything but. Jihoon was almost always yelling at someone or rolling his eyes, and whenever they didn’t have to be listening, he had headphones in. Not to mention, he was one of the smallest guys there, but everyone listened when he was the one talking.

The cabin was already bustling, the screen door creaking as it opened and closed, and the sounds of the dressers being slammed shut. Everyone was preparing for a busy day full of real camp activities. Today’s shirt color was a less blinding orange, but still too bright for Mingyu’s tastes. He wanted to take a nice, cool shower before getting dressed, but he had already woken up a little too late, so it was best to save it for the evening. Besides, he'd just get dirty again anyways, and everyone knew better than to go to bed sticky and covered in dirt (well, everyone but Mingyu before his first night).

 “Counselors, please report to the main square in ten minutes!” The voice on the intercom outside of the cabins sounded. 

Mingyu quickly slipped on the t-shirt and a pair of shorts, remembering to spray some bug repellent to avoid getting another slew of mosquito bites, as yesterday the little pests had not been kind.

Upon arriving at the main square, each team sat with their campers on the ground, Yerim already there, braiding a camper’s hair. 

Seulgi, the oldest female on Team C, dozed off a few times before being tapped on the arm by one of their campers. 

Wonwoo sat with Minkyun who has blabbing on and on about something he couldn’t hear. 

The last two, Hyejeong and Soonyoung were arguing over who would have to deal with the younger kids for ‘potty’ breaks. 

Busy doing rounds, Joohyun came over with her clipboard to make sure everyone was present, then began to read the list of partners for the day. “Seulgi will be with Hyejeong, Wonwoo with Yerim, and Mingyu with Soonyoung.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mingyu was grateful he wouldn’t have to deal with Yerim today. He knew little about Soonyoung, other than the fact that he was probably the best in the group with kids. In his presence, their faces beamed at his lighthearted jokes and goofy gestures, something Mingyu could not duplicate even when he tried his hardest. His hair was a bleached blond that probably no one else on earth could pull off so well, and he was always smiling about something. Oh, and he was always wearing one of those slightly ridiculous sweatbands, and today’s bright green clashing with their shirts was no exception.

  _Ok_ , Mingyu thought to himself calmly. _If I’m with Soonyoung, I won’t have to worry about messing up with the kids so much._

 

* * *

 

The first activity of the day was simple enough: team sports. Soonyoung and Mingyu brought their group of ten to the basketball courts and recounted to make sure they hadn’t lost anyone along the way. It was shocking how many times they’d accidentally left someone in the bathroom or someone had skipped off onto another path while they weren’t looking in only a single day. Mingyu was somewhat excited, basketball had been his thing for years, and maybe the kids would warm up to him quicker once they saw him play. 

“Counselor Soonyoung, I don’t wanna play!” One of the younger girls in their group, Siyeon whined. 

“Why not?” Soonyoung pouted, a device Mingyu watched him use at least thirty times in the last twenty-four hours. He grumbled, not used to seeing such childish actions from people his age. 

“I don’t know how to.” She stated, “So I’m not gonna,” shaking her pigtails back and forth. 

“I don’t know how to play either,” Soonyoung laughed, lowering himself to meet her at eye level. “It’s okay if you mess up! It’s not like where playing professionally.”

“What does professionally mean?” Another camper chirped in from behind.

“Never mind,” Soonyoung chuckled, moving to pull out the cart of basketballs. “We can just practice for a little while first, and then we’ll start playing. Everyone has to play.”

Siyeon whined again but lined up with the rest of the kids against the green fence.   
      
“Isn’t there supposed to be a coach, or someone around here that can help teach the kids play?” Mingyu questioned as he watched the kids play with the basketballs along the fence. Some of them seemed to have an okay idea of how to play, while others bounced the ball against the fence, or threw them at other campers playfully.  
      
“The basketball coach is somehow already sick in the infirmary, so we can’t really get any help teaching the kids new things today. That’s what he gets for eating his fish underdone last week!” Both couselors shuddered at the thought of fish the basketball coach caught from the lake, but insisted on not thorougly cooking it for some odd reason.

“You know, I play basketball pretty well,” Mingyu quietly mentioned, just enough for Soonyoung to hear.

“It doesn’t really matter,” He said, handing Mingyu two of the basketballs. “The primary focus of team sports is just playing for fun and teamwork building.”

“What’s the point of that?” Mingyu asked in slight annoyance. The only thing he was somewhat familiar with here and he couldn’t even offer his expertise in it!

“Like I said to Siyeon, it’s not like we’re playing professionally! Just have fun! We don’t need the coach to help us; it’s a basic game!” 

Shrugging, Mingyu joined the kids in line as the practiced making free throws into the baskets, not missing a single one. It reminded him of Seungcheol and the others, and he wondered if they’d been to the courts just for fun in the last week. He never thought he could miss his usually irritating teammates so much, even the way they always teased his posture during practice or set him up with some random classmate as a prank.

“Throw the basket dude! You’re holding the line up!” One of his male campers announced from behind him.

Turning around, Mingyu stuck his tongue out before shooting the ball and making a clean shot straight into the basket. 

After a while of just throwing baskets and breaking up two campers who fought every five minutes, Soonyoung decided to start the game. A head counselor oversaw the activity and acted as their ‘referee,’ although Mingyu noticed the kids could pretty much do whatever and not get called for anything.  
   
Mingyu was on one team with five of the kids, and Soonyoung with the others, as they began to ‘play,’ if that’s what you could even consider it. They just tossed the ball around in confusion, sometimes passing it right to players on the other team, another time resulting in Siyeon getting hit in the head.

No one had made any points after almost fifteen minutes of playing, so Mingyu took the libery to score a shot for his kids. If I do this, the kids will feel great that we’re in the lead! Once Jongin messily threw the ball to him, Mingyu dribbled a bit, showing off a little before throwing it into the opposite basket and scoring the points.

His team rejoiced in happiness, belting out in cheers and chants, those that _remembered_ they were separated by teams. 

Things started to pick up intensity, Mingyu feeling the sweat dripping down his forehead just like he were back at home on the courts. He scored twice more, leaving his campers in awe, while some of the kids kids on the opposite team grew upset. 

Siyeon wailed again and again, proclaiming, “Counselor Soonyoung! That’s cheating!”

“How am I cheating?” Mingyu asked in a slightly too-fierce-for-camper-basketball tone.

“You’re doing all the work.” She stated matter-of-factly. “Counselor Soonyoung isn’t cheating, he’s letting the kids have the ball too.”

“Counselor Soonyoung said he didn’t know how to play.”

“Whatever, you’re still a big, meanie cheater!” Siyeon screamed, and within a moment, Mingyu felt a small foot trying to crush his much bigger one.

“Siyeon!” Soonyoung yelled. 

The rest of the campers burst into laughter as Siyeon continued trying to step on his feet, punching him in the stomach a few times. It was quite the sight, watching the seven-year-old try to crush his foot with her little light up sneakers. 

Mingyu did nothing, as if he were a brick wall getting rocks thrown at it; he could barely feel a thing anyways.

“Camper, get off of Counselor Mingyu right now!” The head counselor shouted from the corner of the courts.

“Mingyu, do something!” Soonyoung directed him in an anxious tone. 

Mingyu just shrugged, unbothered by Siyeon’s attempts at torment, figuring she would tire herself out eventually. 

None of the three counselors expected Siyeon to crouch down and bite Mingyu’s leg.

“AH!” Mingyu yelped in anger, involuntarily kicking Siyeon over, who flew straight onto her bottom.

“Bully! Counselor Mingyu is a big BULLY!” She cried out, immediately bursting into tears. Soon her cries were filling the air surrounding the basketball courts, calling the attention of the Head Counselor on duty.

“Mingyu!” Soonyoung yelled in a mix of irritation and horror. “You’re not supposed to kick her off!” His face was turning redder by the second as he crouched down to pick her up from the ground, letting her snuggle her head in his neck.

“What else was I supposed to do? She bit me!” Mingyu charged back. He stood up from the ground, looking down at his leg to check out the large bite mark Siyeon had successfully left. It was red and swelling, as Siyeon had taken quite the bite.

“That’s not how you deal with stuff, Mingyu. Look what you did!” 

The head counselor was already running over, blowing her whistle as Soonyoung tried to calm Siyeon down. She gathered the laughing bunch of campers, making them stand along the fence once more.

Upon returning, she gave Mingyu a cold look before declaring, “Counselor Mingyu, you’ve just earned yourself a strike.”

“But I didn’t do anythi-“ Mingyu tried to plead his case. The sun was starting to peak out of the trees in a much stronger fashion, as it must’ve been at least 11am by now, and the heat was only making the situation worse. Mingyu felt like dying right there in the middle of the court; anything would’ve been better than what was happening now.

“No buts, Counselor Mingyu. Injuring a camper is automatic grounds for a strike. Please be more careful next time.” The Head Counselor interrupted his excuse as she scribbling something on her clipboard. 

Mingyu recognized a similar feeling from home flooding back, like he was dealing with his mother after all those times Taehyung accused him of hurting him when he really didn’t. Nine more weeks of this, he thought in slight aggravation.   
      
Before they moved on to their next activity, Mingyu turned around to look at Siyeon again, who still appeared to be crying. He felt a pang of guilt for knocking her down so quickly in the heat of the moment, but it all subsided when he saw her stick her little pink tongue out at him, and noticed she had started faking her tears so Soonyoung wouldn’t put her down.

 

* * *

 

  
“You did what?” Wonwoo asked in disbelief as he stuffed a piece of his sandwich into his mouth. 

“It was an accident, okay?” Mingyu tried to explain, laughing a little. Now that it was all said and done, it didn’t seem all that bad. Siyeon was just a kid, he should’ve been a little easier on her, and he noted that for the next time such a situation arose. The activities after team sports seemed to drag on and on, Mingyu just waiting until he could be free from the taunting campers, even if just for an hour.

Everyone was sitting on the outside benches, enjoying their lunches, as it was too hot and stuffy to sit in the Mess Hall. The sun had started blazing, but the area was filled with shade trees so it made sitting outside tolerable. All they had to worry about for now was the constant influx of bugs flying around their faces and into their food. Jihoon joked that for a real camp experience, you had to eat at least five bugs accidentally. 

“How do you accidentally push a grade schooler onto the ground?” Jihoon chimed into the conversation, interested himself.

“She bit me!” Mingyu started to dignify his side of the story, but the others just continued laughing. “Soonyoung probably thinks I’m a shitty counselor.”

“He wouldn’t be the only one,” Jihoon chuckled. That was one of the few times Mingyu had actually seen his smile, making him seem less stoic and more like a human. Then again, Jihoon only seemed to laugh at the misery of others.

“Do you think he’s still mad at me?”   
      
The three of them looked over at Soonyoung, who sat with one of the older counselors, Junhui. Soonyoung squinted before turning away when he noticed Mingyu was looking at him.

“Guess that answers that.”

Reaching for a couple of carrot sticks, Wonwoo said, “In all seriousness, you’d better be careful with the strikes. If you get too many, they’ll start to give you even worse punishments. And if you get too many of those punishments…well, I’m sure you can figure out what happens next.”

Mingyu shuddered at the thought, imagining the immense disappointment on his mother’s face as she picked him up from camp many weeks earlier than planned. For sure, he had to evade getting into any more trouble.

“What makes you think I’m gonna get any more strikes though,” He asked in slight offense.

“Well, you did get a strike within your 3 hours of officially being a counselor, so…” Jihoon reasoned. 

Before Mingyu could refute, Yerim sauntered by in her usual way, stopping to say, “Wow, Mingyu, everyone knows you’re the clumsy giant around here, but now you’re the angry giant too?” Her obnoxious snicker sounded throughout the small space in the woods, and Mingyu felt sorry for Hyejeong, who was a timid first year and had no one else to hang out with but her. 

The two of them retreated to continue their own lunch, and all Mingyu wanted to do was rip the butterfly-choker off of Yerim’s neck and press it in the dirt until it was ruined.  Of all the petty and annoying girls he knew from school, the many who draped themselves all over him, demanding attention, Yerim’s had to be the worst Mingyu experienced, and in such a short amount of time too. 

Lowering his head in embarrassment as his cheeked burned, Mingyu asked the other two, “How did she already hear about it? Has everyone already heard it about it?”

“It’s kind of hard not to,” Wonwoo answered back, wiping his hands with a napkin. “This camp is small, and news travels fast around here, especially when you’ve got counselors like Yerim.”

“And it has something to do with that fact that…you know, you knocked a seven-year-old down on the first day.” Jihoon mentioned. 

“Oh yeah,” Mingyu began, staring up at the blue sky. It looked so serene and beautiful—white clouds floating like wisps of cotton candy in the sky, like the only bearable thing besides Wonwoo left here. The intensity of the sun was too blinding to look at, but it gave everything else a deeper hint of color and a pleasant glow, especially other people. “How was co-counseling with Yerim?”

“Actually, Yerim’s not even a half bad partner. She’s so distracted by the kids that she doesn’t have time to make any dumb jokes or anything like that…It was actually pretty cool.” 

Mingyu’s mouth parted opened in disbelief; he still wasn’t convinced partnering up with Yerim would be a ‘cool’ experience. He wasn’t even convinced it would be close to decent

“She doesn’t harass you like she does to me though!”  
      
“I guess you’re right, but don’t worry, at least you’ll be with someone who can actually deal with kids again!” Wonwoo teased. 

Mingyu couldn’t help but notice the charm of his smile. Like Jihoon, Wonwoo didn’t really laugh as much, but his bright row of teeth was surely a spectacle. Shaking the thought off, Mingyu got up to throw his lunch away.

“Don’t you have a little brother?” Jihoon questioned, taking a sip of his juice.

“Yup.”

“Why is it so hard for you to deal with these brats? If I can, and Yerim can, you should be able to.” 

“Oh yeah,” Wonwoo nodded in agreement, following to throw his trash out too. “Just act the same way with you would with your brother.”’

“You know, that doesn’t seem like a half bad idea.” Mingyu considered, running his hands through his sweaty, brown hair. He forgot about the paper crown on top of his head, a product of the second activity of the day, crafts. The entire group had to make a crown that represented their personality. Mingyu’s was just plainly painted blue with a few random sport stickers on it.

Mingyu recalled Siyeon saying, “Counselor Mingyu’s crown is boring and ugly, just like him!” eliciting laughter from the rest of the group, even Soonyoung. 

As the rest of the blocks prepared for an hour of free/rest time, cleaning up the outdoor lunch area, Mingyu thought, _I bet Yerim is going to love Siyeon. Two brats that will probably get along famously._  


	5. Joyful Noise

 Even though Mingyu hadn’t become some super counselor within a day, the next day of camp went without any kinks. Mingyu could only thank some higher power for that. He was partnered with Seulgi, who could keep the kids in check like Soonyoung, but in an entirely different manner. It also helped a bit that there were no team sports involved on Wednesdays. That was the first time ever that he wanted to stay as far from sports, even basketballs, in his lifetime.

The scenery of Camp Joyrenity began to meld into a more familiar setting. It was getting less and less unusual to wake up every morning in a thick layer of humidity, ‘welcomed’ by one of Jihoon’s signature wild shakings, and the two youngest cabinmates, Hansol and Chan, arguing about some irrelevant shirt in the wrong drawer or a volume of 'One Piece' left on the ground. 

Wonwoo was far more…unpredictable than the other boys in the cabin. Some mornings he would be up way earlier than the rest, nowhere to be found within the cabin when they rose to the dew and orange-pink sky peeking through their windows. Other mornings he would have to be woken up by Mingyu, though he suspected it was because he’d been up late at night doing nothing but flipping through pages and pages of a sci-fi novel he packed along, or some random guide on countries in Europe.

Mingyu could sense a particular feel to each boy, but he still could not place Wonwoo in any single category. He was as erratic as each one of the teeny camper’s moves. 

 

* * *

 

“Let’s see,” Joohyun hummed, flipping through the pages of her clipboard and running her fingers down to trace a line across from left to right. “For today, Soonyoung will be with Seulgi, Yerim with Hyejeong, and Mingyu with Wonwoo.” She quickly moved onto the next group before anyone could mutter a response.

“Sweet.” Wonwoo simply said, patting Mingyu on the shoulder in a light-heartened manner. It was the first time this summer they would be partnered together. 

“Yeah.” Mingyu replied in short. “I’m just glad its not Soonyoung or Yerim.” 

“Would you forget about it already?” Wonwoo spoke, extending a hand to Mingyu as they rose from the ground. 

This morning a was refreshing change, with a cool, soft breeze for once in the week and a half they had been there. It had rained a bit some hours after everyone went to bed, the first rain of camp season. The birds chirped in a mellow manner, standing out against the sounds of campers’ chitchat that always filled the air. A sign of a stress-free day, Mingyu silently hoped.

“You had a perfectly good day yesterday,” Wonwoo continued, hoping that Mingyu would just let the mishap from earlier in the week go. “It’s not like you’ve got a time machine or something. Get over it! Besides, you’re with me today, so there’s even less a chance anything could go wrong.”

Their designated campers began to group up, Wonwoo directing them into a single file line as he checked out the first activity of the day on the sheet Joohyun had left with Hyejeong. 

Mingyu smiled lightly, feeling more than relieved at Wonwoo’s words. A warm ease filled his clouded mind, and perhaps today would not only go well, but maybe even be _fun_ too. Shaking any negative thoughts aside, Mingyu straightened up and began to help move the campers to their next location. 

“Where to today, Counselor Wonwoo?” Mingyu asked from the back of the line.

“Up first, looks like we’ve got…Music Lessons.” 

“Lead the way then, Captain.”

The children in the line began to cheer at once, nothing but joyful noise floating around in the early morning air. 

Everyone seemed to have a great feeling about today.

 

* * *

 

The music room in the Recreation Cabin was a fairly decent size, and the campers entered in immediate awe as they saw the room thoroughly for the first time. Granted, they had seen it on the tour, but Mingyu could understand how they’d be so happy to see it all up close.

A large carpet graced the center of the room, blue in the middle with different color spots all around the edge, creating little ‘seats’ for the children. Tons of boxes filled with all kinds of fun instruments: tambourines, maracas, triangles, even just rain shakers, captivated the eyes of the young children as they stood in place, aching to run and grab a handful.

The Head Counselor in charge of music lessons greeted them at once, appearing behind a red curtain with a guitar in hand, surely eliciting a chorus of ‘wows’ and ‘looks’ from children.

Immediately breaking out into song, the Head Counselor strumming his guitar, singing “Helloooooo~ Hellooooo~ Hello!” Before stopping abruptly. “I’m Head Counselor Jisoo, and I’m so excited to play some fun music for all of you today! I’ll even teach you a thing or two if you let me!” This counselor, Jisoo, had no shortage of sweetness in his voice, smile as gleaming as if weren’t 9am. He had a gentle appearance, soft brown hair and eyes that you noticed right when you looked directly at his face. Certainly, Jisoo had to be one of the best looking counselors at Joyrenity. 

“Great. Another happy-go-lucky.” Mingyu whispered so lowly, hoping no one would hear. He said it as if Jisoo were new to him, though he should’ve known. They were cabin mates of course, but since Jisoo was a head counselor, he always left early and came back late, guitar case in hand, and never had a minute of free time to lie around in the cabin like the rest. Mingyu hardly knew what he was actually like. Still, just from appearance, Mingyu figured he’d be more like Soonyoung than Wonwoo or Seulgi.

“Shhh…” Wonwoo responded back. “Jisoo is really fun! All of the kids love him, and they’ll be so distracted by his singing and games that we won’t have much to do this lesson.” 

Mingyu’s ears perked up at Wonwoo’s words, making the last of his worries recede. It was better to give Jisoo the benefit of the doubt than just assume he’d be a bit unbearable. Assuming things at this camp proved to be more stupid than helpful, and cheerfulness did come in different shades, after all. 

Jisoo welcomed the children to sit in the circle in any spot they’d like, sending them into a flurry as they rushed to the color they liked most.

Suddnely, Mingyu’s hands began to clam with sweat, a hint of worry reappearing as the children might’ve started fighting over the last blue spot or not being able to sit next to a friend. After all, they did have a tendency fight over _everything_. Just this morning two campers fought over who would get the last blueberry yogurt. That feeling was curbed once again when he saw them cooperate without a single fight.

 _The magic of music, I guess._ Mingyu thought, smiling in a mix of confusion and content. 

“Alright campers, since we all love Camp Joyrenity so much, we have to show how much we love it right?” 

“Yeah!” The entire group of children yelled out, not a single voice missing.

“Well, I have just the perfect song to show this big, huge camp how much we adore it!” Jisoo settled in the middle of the circle, making large and friendly gestures with his hands, much like a young kindergarten teacher would. “Today, I prepared something special for everyone. Some of your friends might’ve learned it already. Does anyone have any idea what it could be?”

The campers looked around the room in speculation, faces of awe shifting into focused looks, like students preparing for a test just hours away. They whispered to each other, some brainstorming together, while others sat in silence and simple anticipation.

“Nobody? Come on!” Jisoo’s warm voice roared. “Nobody knows what special song we sing here at Camp Joyrenity?”

The children simply shook their heads no, unable to formulate a guess.

“Hmm….” Jisoo started. “Counselor Mingyu, do you know what song we sing here at Camp Joyrenity?”

Immediately, everyone’s expectant eyes flew upon him, glowing as if he held the key to a sacred secret. A feeling like he was presenting in front of his Ancient History class, or even standing in the middle of the court during a game, bleachers filled with a hopeful crowd. Only, disappointing the children seemed even worse than messing up his presentation or missing a free throw in that moment. 

“I….Um….” His mind was a field of blank space, not knowing what Jisoo could possibly be talking about.

“What Counselor Mingyu meant to say is the Camp Joyrenity Pledge Song!” Wonwoo swooped in, easily finishing a sentence he had no end for. He winked at Mingyu, sending an odd shock of something he couldn’t put his finger on into his already flurried emotions.

Mingyu, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, faked a laugh and replied, “Haha…yeah! The Camp Joyrenity…Pledge song?”

The children beamed in delight, cheering along with Jisoo as he yelled, “That’s right! Here at camp we sing a special song pledging to be good campers, to treat our camp well and with respect! You know, kind of like a country’s anthem?”

They nodded up and down, voices raising in excitement to learn something new. 

One camper asked loudly, “Counselor Jisoo, will we get to play with these fun toys in the boxes today?”

The others seemed to be interested in the answer as well, faced panted with curiosity, but too afraid to ask themselves.

“Sorry, guys.” Jisoo started. “Today, we’ll just focus on learning the anthem for this Friday night’s campfire. But don’t worry, next week we’ll start using those fun _instruments_.” He emphasized his final word in a correcting-yet-soft manner. 

“Awwwwwww!” Many campers groaned. 

“Don’t worry guys!” Wonwoo jumped in yet again to help Jisoo out. Mingyu was starting to fit a bit incompetent again between two efficient counselors like this. “Learning the camp song is really easy and fun. Just as fun as using the instruments! Let’s get started, shouldn’t we Jisoo?”

Smiling in a look of appreciation for his aid, Jisoo replied back, “Of course! Everyone pay close attention to the counselor helping you so we can start learning piece by piece!”

Jisoo handed a few papers with the song on them to Mingyu and Wonwoo so they could distribute them evenly, giving most of them to the older kids who could actually read. 

Jisoo took the liberty to start playing the song first to let them have a sense of how it should sound, filling the air with gentle sound of his voice. Everyone else’s faces grew in adoration once more, the children back to sporting focused doe eyes, and Wonwoo closing his eyes at the comforting and serene sound of Jisoo singing. 

Mingyu was certain his face must’ve also been displaying some shock, immediately closing his mouth when he realized it was hanging open.

“Awesome, right?” Wonwoo whispered into Mingyu’s ear. “When he duets with other counselors, it gets even more amazing. Thats why you should look forward to friday night.” 

As Jisoo finished off the song, everyone’s frozen expressions broke. The children were clapping and yelling, converting the cabin into a rowdy madhouse of ruckus. _Ah yes_ , Mingyu thought. _These are the campers I’m used to._

“Well, what do you say everyone? Are you ready to learn the camp song?” Jisoo asked them, setting his guitar aside for a minute.

The small voices gathered together to roar their chants of “yeses” over and over. 

Grinning, Mingyu had never seen his campers so excited as of yet. _I still have a lot to learn about_ everyone _here._

“Well then, let’s get to it!”

 

* * *

 

The first block of camp activities always lasted around an hour and a half, all of which they spent trying to help their campers memorize as much of the song as they could. 

Wonwoo suggested Mingyu stay closest to the older campers since they normally didn’t need as much help with these kinds of things, while Jisoo and him stuck with the young batch.

Grateful to not have to deal with the children most prone to screaming and crying at every little thing, Mingyu read over the sheets with them in peace, even loosing track of time because it was just so…so normal. It was even beginning to get a bit enjoyable, as one of his older male campers read the lines in silly voices, causing the entire small circle to laugh out regularly. Two girls kept making jokes out of the lyrics, teasing at the corniness of them, yet still tried their best to memorize the lines. None of them seemed to carry any threat of trouble today. 

Just relax. Mingyu thought to himself, handing a camper one of the spare sheets. _The more you worry, the worse things turn out._

After everyone was given sufficient time to try and learn as much of the song as possible, Jisoo gathered up everyone in the circle once again. There was only about ten minutes left of this activity. _Come on, Mingyu._ He thought. _Almost done._

Once again, the cabin filled with the sound of voices, not nearly as smooth and pleasant to listen to as Jisoo’s, but good enough. Many campers forgot lines and stumbled over parts, but it was only natural. 

Wonwoo sang along cheerfully, swaying his hands side to side to the rhythm of Jisoo’s guitar strums. 

Half-heartedly singing, Mingyu couldn’t help but stare. There it was again, something he didn’t expect Wonwoo to do so cheerfully, so simply, yet he was. Wonwoo’s rare, charming smile reappeared again and again as he sang, crouching down to sing to right next to his campers beside him, holding their hands and swinging them back and forth. Every couple of seconds he would laugh, breaking his concentration on the song, but immediately go back to giving it his all for the campers.

The song ended abruptly, causing Mingyu to mentally scold himself to stop staring so hard and focus on his campers instead.  

With just minutes left, Mingyu thought it was safe to say, as long as Wonwoo was his partner for the day, everything would be fine. Better than fine.

As the children passed the papers back to Jisoo in a circle, now singing the song over and over to each other (Mingyu was sure he wouldn’t forget the lyrics now even if he wanted to), Mingyu noticed Minkyun, the camper who normally glued to Wonwoo’s side, had started playing with a tambourine. 

He knew he had to intercept before it ended up broken and he was somehow blamed for that too, but he didn’t know how to do it in a soft way… a Soonyoung way, or Wonwoo way. 

Minkyun kept shaking it back and forth, the clink of the jingles striking the air, and the other counselors failed to notice, but the children were starting to. If he didn’t stop him now, everyone would end up with an instrument. That’s how the campers worked. _Once one person starts, everyone starts, and they won’t want to stop._

Taking a deep breath, Mingyu urged his nerves to settle into a calmer state, shifting closer to Minkyun. J _ust talk to him like you talk to Taehyung._

“Hey, Minkyun,” Mingyu started, trying desperately to keep his voice low and soft, but still enough for Minkyun to hear over the noisy campers in the background.

“Look Counselor Mingyu! This toy is so much fun!” 

“Yeah..about that-“

Minkyun shook it in his face, giggling, so clearly amused by a “toy” he had never before seen. 

Mingyu felt half sick, afraid Minkyun wouldn’t respond well. He only ever listened to Wonwoo, and so far, the head counselors made sure he was always in the same group as him too.

Gathering his resolve, Mingyu did not snatch it from his hands like he wished he could, but instead said, “Minkyun, we can’t use those instruments right now. Can you please put it b-“

Crying. 

Not even two seconds had passed before Minkyun’s shrieks just like the day his father had left him behind resurfaced, calling the attention of every last person in the room.

Wonwoo shot Mingyu a sympathetic glance, smiling, but mouthing for him to try and fix it himself.

Jisoo was too busy storing something away to even acknowledge the mess, probably figuring Mingyu could deal it with it too. 

“Minkyun, d-don’t worry! W-we can play with the intruments next t-“

Still, Minkyun cut Mingyu off, crying into his hands as he turned away. His sleeves were getting more stained with tears by the minute.

"Minkyun...I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm really sorry, buddy." Mingyu immediately responded in the most sweet voice he could gather, but he recognized he was no Soonyoung, so it came out a bit flat. Jihoon reminded him last night that he should always try to calm down and apologize. _"If all else fails, at least you said you're sorry."_  

That was one principle he never used with his younger brother. Normally, he'd just leave Taehyung crying in the corner until he finally got over it, but that didn't exactly work here.

Minkyun sniffled, but still did not turn to meet his eyes, keeping his face hidden within his tiny hands.

Eventually Wonwoo just had to walk over, not even hiding his chuckle as he said, “Well, at least you didn’t do it on purpose this time.” Wonwoo knew well that Minkyun wasn't exactly the easiest camper for just anyone to console, truly sympathetic for Mingyu's little slip up that would no doubt earn him another strike. 

“I didn’t do it on purpose last time either!” Mingyu yelled slightly, shaking his head as he thought of Siyeon sticking her tongue out at him. He tried to repress his anger, but more importantly, his disappointment in himself. 

_So much for a good day._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapters start to get longer and more detailed from this point


	6. Cartons of Milk

Just as both boys suspected, the Head Counselors did not fail to give Mingyu yet another strike for making Minkyun cry. Wonwoo eventually calmed him down by rubbing his back and blowing his nose for him, telling Minkyun that Mingyu didn’t mean it, which instantaneously seemed to make his tears disappear (even though Mingyu did the exact same thing with zero success), almost like they’d never happened.

Not bothering to even stake his claims, Mingyu just let them stick another red ‘X’ on his Counselor Report Sheet before they muttered for him to “get it together.”

Wonwoo was much more comforting about it this time around, patting his back and trying to tell Mingyu any lame joke that popped into his mind as they sat in the Main Cabin waiting for Joohyun to finish filling out his Counselor Report Sheet. Finally, he stopped kidding around to say, “Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t think you really deserved it this time.”

Mingyu sported a solid mix of aggravation and anger, though he tried to labor his breaths. Even though he internally struggled to believe it, Wonwoo’s gestures were relaxing him more than he would ever admit. For a moment, he could understand how Minkyun was always instantly calmed with him; Wonwoo wasn’t just a charmer to children, but adults, other counselors, everyone alike.

“Like I said before, it’s Minkyun. He’s a good kid, but he cries if you leave him in the bathroom alone. I think they’re still hesitant because of last incident.” Wonwoo tried to reason.

“Whatever,” Mingyu said plainly, shrugging away the last of his annoyance. He didn’t want Wonwoo to think he was annoyed at him in particular, as he already had enough to deal with in that moment.

“The rest of the day went pretty well, though, so I still think we make good partners. Not to brag or anything.” Wonwoo winked at him.

Mingyu’s eyes widened at the actions and he laughed awkwardly, trying to hide the fact that it hollowed a bit of warmth in his stomach that made him half dizzy, but wholly embarrassed. _That’s not what he meant, Mingyu._

“What if they’re already considering kicking me out?” Mingyu asked, burying the previous thought like he couldn’t with past incidents and biting his lip in worry.

“I won’t lie, they probably already are, so you just have to be careful, you know?”

“That’s easier said than done, Wonwoo.”

Joohyun finished up, clearing her throat to interrupt their conversation. She awkwardly placed the counselor report sheet in Mingyu’s lap before retreating back to her position in the back room. She wasn’t one to show much emotion, but he could tell even she was a little disappointed with him by the way she sighed with every step she took.

“You think too hard about everything, Mingyu. I don’t know how many times we have to tell you to just stop trying so hard and have fun. Everything falls into place if you let it.”

Pulling him up with one hand, Wonwoo gestured for the door of the cabin. “Now let’s go! We’ve already missed enough of dinner time, and you’re going to have to deal with _me_ crying if I don’t get one of those cupcakes.”

Mingyu stood up to leave, letting the Main Cabin door slam shut behind him, and simply resolved to let this one go. It really wasn’t worth popping a vein over things you couldn’t change.

 

* * *

 

Though there were many things at ‘Camp Joyrenity’ Mingyu had garnered little, if any, tolerance for, the coveted Thursday Morning hikes took the shining first place trophy. Ah, nothing more exciting and rewarding then waking up at 7am to walk around in the forest and slapping mosquitos that clung to his arms every four seconds. The absolute best part just _had_ to be that at least one camper had to pee every five minutes, and when they were told to wait, they’d fly into a frenzy of kicking and screaming in the middle of the forest.

The only good thing that stemmed from Thursday Morning hikes is that the whole camp did them together split into two large groups, so it was impossible for anyone to mess up with so many counselors keeping watch. Mingyu would be genuinely shocked if he ended up getting in trouble for something this time around.

“Don’t be so sure, Mingyu. You’re kind of like a walking hazard now.” Jihoon mentioned as they exited the cabin and made their way to the hiking trails. Wonwoo and the others were not far behind, still joking about the selection chosen for last night’s “Movie Night.”

“Can you not try to stress me out, Jihoon?” For the first time since camp started, the constantly buzzing thoughts of messing up had naturally slowed down today. The fact that he’d gotten a strike for barely doing anything wrong made him realize it didn’t matter if he tried hard or not— they were ready to hand Mingyu strikes like they handed campers ‘good job!’ and gold stickers for every little thing.

“I know Wonwoo told you to just ‘let go and try to have fun,’ but don’t think that just because everyone else is here that it’s going to be that easy. And this is coming from _me_ of all people.” Jihoon raised his eyebrows at Mingyu.

“Whatever. I’m calm today, and nothing is going to ruin that.”

Jihoon chuckled, laugh penetrating through the sounds of campers scurrying around in the early morning. The sun was barely rising and most of the campers themselves seemed to be out of sorts. “It’s 7:30am and we’re about to spend two hours in a forest with a bunch of children. You know what, Mingyu?”

“What.” He muttered with a hint of irritation, wondering why Jihoon suddenly was trying to bother him after all that consolidation earlier in the week, but remembered Jihoon never needed a reason.

“They should nickname you the Human Jinx instead. Walking hazard suddenly doesn’t seem so fitting,” his devilish laughter floating through the air once more.

The flurries of children were soon filling up the dirt area that began the hiking path, while one Head Counselor stood on a makeshift podium, a box that someone had brought along, and banged furiously on the megaphone, trying to get it to work.

“Listen up campers! Use the bathroom now because the walk is two hours long and there is only one rest stop per trail! We won’t let you pee in the middle of the woods, if _that’s_ what you think you’ll get away.”

Expectedly, the campers’ little snickers filled the air.

“You heard him, Mingyu. You’re not allowed to pee wherever you want.” Yerim mumbled from her spot next to Seulgi.

Seulgi giggled a little into her hand—face burning in embarrassment for laughing at Yerim’s comment, before turning her attention back to the Head Counselor.

“Please make sure all campers stay on the trail and avoid stopping at all times! Also, if you’re carrying food in your pockets, throw it out now.”

Mingyu rolled his eyes in doubt that anyone would be carrying food, but he paused in the disbelief when he saw one of the older boys pulled a yogurt out of his pocket and hand it to a counselor.

Soonyoung sauntered by with a bunch of snacks he had confiscated, arms overflowing.

“Now that we’ve gone over the rules, everyone can assemble with their blocks and proceed to begin walking. The Head Counselors will follow last to make sure none of the campers stayed behind.”

In no time, the two large split groups began to walk down two separate trails in different directions, the campers waving goodbye to each other as they over dramatically parted for just a mere two hours.

All Mingyu did was close his eyes for a minute, trying to ignore the fact that it smelled like overbearing wet moss and something that had died in the distance, while walking alongside campers. It was pretty quiet at the start, but Mingyu knew he was dumb to think for even a minute it would stay that way. They always found _something_ to do when they got bored.

Not even fifteen minutes had passed before a large group of campers had decided to start singing ‘99 Bottles of Beer,’ trading it for ‘Cartons of Milk’ to avoid getting grilled by the counselors.

“Do they always do this?” Mingyu groaned, pulling his hands out of his pockets to press his face into them. He directed his comment towards Wonwoo, who seemed to be mumbling the lyrics to himself.

“What else are they supposed to do? The walks aren’t exactly the most fun things on earth.”

“I don’t know? Just be quiet like normal people! It’s still so early.”

“They’re not normal people…well, not yet at least. They’re kids. Lighten up!” Wonwoo said, punching him on the shoulder before catching up with Soonyoung, who did not mind one bit that the kids were singing, as he was hollering the lyrics the loudest himself.

Perhaps a good hour had passed— though Mingyu could only use the bathroom breaks to gauge how much time they had spent walking the path. His legs were starting to ache, not that he wasn’t using to always being on his legs, but it surely had been a while. By the time they had reached the first bathroom stop, the kids had blown through ‘99 Cartons of Milk’ twice and a slew of other cheesy camp songs. It was a mystery how they could have so much energy so early.

To make matters worse, Wonwoo seemed to be anywhere but at Mingyu’s side today. At one moment he’d be holding Minkyun’s hand to assure the scared-little boy everything would be fine, as usual, and in the next, he’d be laughing with Soonyoung about a joke that wasn’t even funny.

“Why is that all of a sudden Wonwoo’s around Soonyoung so much?” Mingyu asked Jihoon as he leaned against the bathroom hut.

“What do you mean…all of a ‘sudden’? Wonwoo’s been friends with Soonyoung forever.”

They both looked on as Soonyoung proceeded to make the silliest face possible, eyes gouging out and ears stretched as Wonwoo laughed _hard_. Granted, Mingyu wasn’t the ‘Wonwoo Whisperer,’ but he knew it wasn’t that easy to make Wonwoo laugh so hard, at least it didn’t _seem_ like it.

“Why do you care anyways?” Jihoon muttered, kicking a rock that was a few centimeters from his feet.

“I don’t. I’m just asking cause it seemed a little strange, but since you said they’ve already been friends…I guess it make sense...”

Rolling his eyes, Jihoon replied back, “You’re weird. We haven’t even been out here that long and the trail is already getting to that pea-sized brain of yours.”

The campers began to shuffle out of the bathrooms—the many that had been in there—Mingyu had never seen so many children crying to use the bathroom at once, and he could say definitively he didn’t want to see it ever again. Most of them wasted no time continuing up on the path, back to singing songs at obnoxiously loud levels and skipping along into the brush and clearings of trees, until few remained in the huts.

“Hurry along everyone!” Joohyun called from behind, struggling to drag along a younger camper who had scratched their knee and refused to let go of her.

Mingyu was about ready to keep going when he first hear someone hissing,“Psssssst.”

At first Mingyu’s eyes peered around wildly trying to figure out where it came, and soon the person repeated the action, this time tugging on the collar of his t-shirt.

Whipping around instantaneously, Mingyu came face to face with Hyejeong, the most shy and quiet counselor of Team C. Sometimes he wondered how she could even manage considering everything the children did scared her, and her eyes were always riddled with worry— rimmed under each in the form of dark bags. He clutched his chest in shock, shaking it off as he pulled himself together. “What’s wrong, Hyejeong?”

She appeared more worried than usual, if that was even possible, and fidgeted with the tips of her braids in the most frantic manner. “Help me.” At first, it sounded very low and whispery, but that was simply how Hyejeong spoke.

“What?”

“Help me.” She said a little louder, pointing in the direction of the path that they came from.

“What do you mean? Did something happen over there?” Mingyu looked over, but saw nothing but the same old trees and now-empty dirt path.

Hyejeong let out a deep sigh that sounded more like a weak cry, then signaled for him to follow.

 _Great._ _The last thing I need right now is to get behind when we should’ve already caught up with the others._ The bathroom area was now as deserted as base camp, with only Hyejeong, Mingyu, and three other campers who chose to cling to Hyejeong for whatever reason.

“Where did you guys see them go?” Hyejeong asked the three who appeared a bit worried themselves. “Do you remember?”

“Uh uh.” One muttered, voice full of restraint from bursting into tears. The other two shook their heads ‘no’ as well.

“Hyejeong, what’s going on?” Mingyu asked now in a more hard tone.

“One…O-one of the kids….” She paused, taking deep breaths between each word as if she’d been running for miles before speaking.

“Yes…?”

“One of the kids threw Shinyeol’s watch into a bush as a joke. Shinyeol…went to find it and I went to help, but we couldn’t find it anywhere!” Hyejeong’s skin grew paler each minute under the shade of the trees soaring high above them.

“I told Shinyeol that we’d better keep going…but he didn’t want to come with me…I thought he was following but when I turned around again he was gone. And s-so was Jiho.”

Absorbing the information as if he were about to compute some large equation, he repeated back in the simplest terms, “You…you lost campers? You lost campers? You lost campers in the middle of the fucking _forest_ , Hyejeong!”

Birds cawed loudly, almost in response, as Mingyu’s voice echoed through the small space in the forest.

Immediately her eyes began to squint harshly, clearly trying to keep herself together. “Don’t yell at me! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Why didn’t you tell another counselor? Why me!”

“Because!” Hyejeong frantically replied. Her poorly built composure was falling apart as fast as the houses of cards the older campers always made during lunch time. “I thought if I went to anyone else they’d get really upset with me and make fun of me. Since you’ve already messed up I thought you’d be more willing to help!”

Trying to ignore the fact Hyejeong had pretty much insulted him; he took a deep breath, and met Hyejeong’s eyes again. She genuinely looked as if she had seen an axe murderer flying through the brushes of the forest, skin now as pale as the basketball coach after eating the raw fish.

“Please help me find them, Mingyu. I promise I’ll help come up with a really good excuse when we get back to the others. Pretty please?” Rather than a child’s plead, it sounded more like a fearful beg, like he was about to hurt her himself.

Thinking for a moment, Mingyu didn’t know what to do. If they didn’t come up with a good excuse, Mingyu would no doubt get another strike, and a third would earn him a punishment that he was desparately trying to avoid. On the other hand, leaving Hyejeong in the middle of the woods was just an obviously shitty thing to do, especially since she was barely breathing at this point.

Brushing her shoulder like Wonwoo always did to calm him down, but not nearly as effectively, he simply said, “Fine. Let’s go back and see if we can find them.”

Hyejeong smiled weakly, grabbing Mingyu’s hand and guiding the remaining three campers to link on too.

 _It can’t be that hard to find them._ Mingyu began to think, but then he remembered Jihoon’s nickname, Human Jinx, and decided it was best to reserve such statements.

 

* * *

 

It could’ve been minutes, or twenty, or maybe even an hour that Mingyu and Hyejeong spent looking for the last two campers. They tried everything they could think of, calling their names loudly, whistling, and trying to retrace steps or even find the watch to see if it would lead to Shinyeol—but nothing worked. No matter how many times they called out, they never heard anything but the leaves rustling in the wind.

“We have to look deeper in the trees…maybe they tried to find a shortcut to the others?” Hyejeong suggested, pointing to the thick columns of trees on either side of the hiking path.

Agreeing, Mingyu knew if they showed up without those two campers, they’d be as good as dead. “I’ll try and look a little for them, but don’t worry, I won’t go in too deep. Why don’t you stay here with the campers just in case someone comes looking for us?”

“Mingyu…I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to separate.”

“Would you rather we drag the kids into the trees with us, with all the poisonous plants and thorny bushes?” The words came out harsher than Mingyu originally intended, as Hyejeong winced hearing his words.

“I guess you’re right…Just be careful okay? If something happens to you, scream really loud and I’ll run to you really fast,” trying to reassure Mingyu she could actually be of some help, but he wasn’t exactly convinced.

Seconds later, he began to walk through the deeper edges of the forest, trees surrounding him everywhere he walked. For a while he could still see Hyejeong and her bright pink hair standing on the path, biting her nails, but soon, everything was growing farther and farther from where he stood.

He tried to be careful, as many bushes and strange vines were popping up everywhere, but it was hard when the dirt was getting heavier and harder to walk through, almost like a thick expanse of mud.

 _God, why did it have to be me?_ Mingyu wondered as he tried to yell for Shinyeol and Jiho a few more times. _This is pointless,_ he thought. All that he was finding was various kinds of poison ivy scattered over tree trunks, but no campers. _They probably just caught up with the other group; Jihoon has the nerve to say I don’t pay attention but look at this girl._

The scenery around him was becoming more and unfamiliar by the minute, and Mingyu did not want to risk losing himself in the forest, so he just decided to turn back, but after wandering a few feet in a random direction…where was back?

“Hm….Hyejeong! Hyejeong!” Mingyu yelled at the top of his lungs, even louder each time to try and see if she’d come to his rescue like the superhero she proclaimed to be, but once more he heard nothing, only chips of birds and crickets rubbing their wings together.

“Hyejeong! Hyejeong! Hyejeong can you hear me!” Mingyu continued yelling,

At this point, it was useless. If she couldn’t hear him now, she wouldn’t be able to hear him ever.

Mingyu wished they’d just gone back and told the Head Counselors like normal counselors. But no! They had to go and play hero for some kids they didn’t even know were really lost or not. All Mingyu could do now was…run.

He ran in any direction, mud clumping up on the bottoms of his sneakers, clogging them like his mind was currently. Every tree looked so identical, every boulder identical, and every place he’d swore was the right way was just another part of the square he’d been running in. Something, anything to point him in the right direction—he prayed for.

“Hyejeong! Hyejeong!” He tried a final time. No answer.

The path did not get any closer in sight, but instead, the brightness of the sun did. The two-hour hike had to be well over by now. Standing around wasn’t going to help at all, so Mingyu continued to run until his breaths were so choppy he could barely breath, jagged like the peaks of the rocks scattered all throughout the floor. He just wanted to see one person, anyone—even Yerim—appear from the blue to pull him out of this muddy trap that seemed to pull him in even further every minute.

One step led to another, until Mingyu heard the crack of something right underneath him. His brain had not registered it yet. He thought he was hearing the sound of a branch breaking or a savior stepping on a twig, but the sharp pang in his ankle and the feeling of his heavy body hitting the ground was enough to tell him that it was not.

 

* * *

 

As the two groups from different trails began to converge at the ending points, Wonwoo couldn’t help but notice something was seriously off. He’d spent most of the second leg of the walk trying to ignore his urge to find Mingyu in the midst of the clumped group of people, but it was even odder than Mingyu had not found him.

“Jihoon, have you seen Mingyu? I could’ve sworn he was walking with you the entire time.”

“Where have you been Wonwoo?” Jihoon replied, turning his attention away from some campers. “Mingyu was still at the bathroom stop when I left. I think he was with Hyejeong.”

A slight pod of worry burst in Wonwoo’s stomach upon realizing he hadn’t seen Hyejeong the entire time either. His eyes, now alert, began scanning every stretch they could to try and find her pink braids that stood out anywhere, but with no luck.

His search was interrupted by a shriek from none either than Yerim. “You did what!” Her voice echoed throughout the forest as she shook Hyejeong by the shoulders.

Hyejeong, with a not-unsual-but-worse look of terror painted across her face whimpered back, “It was an accident okay!”

Here was Hyejeong, but no Mingyu.

Wonwoo immediately rushed over to Yerim and Hyejeong, closing the path between them in a matter of seconds before the Head Counselors could.

Hyejeong’s eyes were already wet with tears.

“Where’s Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked, not even bothering to mind Hyejeong’s obvious shaken condition, voice reaching a rare—but not unknown to the counselors—high.

Hyejeong did not answer, instead whimpered as she tapped Yerim on the shoulder for help.

This time, he was the one to shake her uncontrollably. “Where is he!?”

“Wonwoo, Calm down!” Yerim managed to pry him off of her, pulling on his shirt so hard that it was stretching out and the band close to ripping. She pushed him off, gathering the most of her petite power as she protected Hyejeong.

“I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry!” Her cries sounded as if she were the one in danger, but Wonwoo knew that something had to have happened with Mingyu and he wasn’t in any mood to play a good cop.

“Just tell me what happened.”

Yerim immediately began to fire the story in Hyejeong’s place from start to finish. “Now can you calm down, you fuck?” Yerim charged back, holding a shoulder around Hyejeong’s arms and trying her best to sooth the mess she held.

“I waited forever for h-him to come back, but he never did, s-so I came back to ask for Joohyun’s h-help.” Hyejeong stated between broken sobs.

With the amount of crying and the sound of their near argument, the Head Counselors were already rushing to figure out what all the commotion was about. Some nosy campers even tuned in to listen to the chaos that had ensued out of the blue. The heat of the sun growing certainly did not help the fact that everyone now seemed to be somewhat aggitated. 

“You have no idea where he could be?” Wonwoo asked more calmly, voice now dripping with worry instead of the former rage. The sweat had quickly gathered on his forehead for multiple reasons and his heartbeat was pounding so loud he was sure Yerim and Hyejeong couldn’t miss it.

“N-nope. I’m s-sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t going to fix this, Hyejeong.”

“Fuck off, Wonwoo. She already told you everything she could. Mingyu’s not a baby, if he has any common sense he’ll be fine.”

“It doesn’t matter. You _know_ what has happened to every person in the forest who gets lost and it’s not going to be different with him.”

“Give her a break!” Yerim hollered back. “You always want everyone to give Mingyu one, and god knows why when he’s the one _always_ messing up.”

Wonwoo backed up a few steps, heels pressing harder in the dirt like the comment pressed into him. _Always wanting everyone to give Mingyu a break._

Earlier, Wonwoo tried to keep his distance from Mingyu. To him, it was becoming too much, an invisible chokehold, because he knew if he got closer to him the unavoidable was bound to happen. For fucks’ sake, it was _already_ happening.

That morning, Wonwoo reasoned the less time he spent on Mingyu’s shoulder, the less likely, but now all he could think of was the guilty ache for leaving the less reliable counselor alone. If the fact that he had to separate himself hadn’t been indicator enough, the rush of thick worry pulsing through him, unlike anything he’d felt for months, was.

Not exactly feeling up for denial, Wonwoo recalled one fitting phrase—in the midst of the counselors yelling and campers laughing—that his father had told him long before the incident.

_“You can’t turn away what’s already happening, so why not welcome it?”_


	7. A Different Kind of Pain

If anyone wanted to know how it felt to lie on the floor of the woods for hours—most likely—he could easily assure them that it was not nearly as fun as sitting on the couch playing first-person shooter games or sleeping in. Whenever Mingyu attempted to rise from the ground, his ankle would burn in resistance, forcing he’d settle himself in the dirt once again. At some point he just stopped trying altogether, acknowledging he was better off in the dirt then wobbling around a forest he had no idea on how to escape.

Sighing as he reached down to flick another crawling bug off of his leg, Mingyu had couldn’t tell what had happened to his ankle; he was just praying it wasn’t enough to keep him from working. Sure, the camp had been more than a hassle, but it would hurt him more than his ankle did if he couldn’t send his mother his paychecks all because he got lost in the forest.

He didn’t know if he should blame Hyejeong or himself, so he settled on neither. _We both had the best intentions_ , thoughts only interrupted by the slow whistle of birds or scurrying squirrels. 

The sky had turned a mild shade of blue since the hike had started, so it could only have been afternoon, at the latest. Dirt had found its way into odd crevices of Mingyu’s clothing, and sweat had coated every inch of his forehead. The only thing he was grateful for at this moment that the trees provided enough shade to protect him from roasting in the heat of the sun.

Every time a rustle sounded, Mingyu thought it might’ve been someone, anyone, slipping through the expanse of green and brown, but it was always just an animal or the wind. No Hyejeong, no Wonwoo, no Head Counselors—no one.

_It’s not that bad_ , Mingyu tried to console himself, but eventually he couldn’t help but think it was. What if something seriously terrible happened to his ankle, still shooting pulses of pain every few minutes, and with every little movement? What if they looked everywhere for him, but couldn’t find him? What if he got dehydrated?

Mingyu groaned when a small frog appeared out the blue and leaped closer to him every second. _Whatever_ , he sighed when it nearly jumped onto him. _The last thing I need today is to get poisoned by a frog or something._

Settling against a tree—quite possibly the roughest and worst pillow he ever had, even worse than the ones provided by camp, though not saying much, he stared at the sky. The worst thought of all bubbled into his head—What if they weren’t even looking at all?

 

* * *

 

“Mingyu…Mingyu…earth to Mingyu!” A voice called, and not even seconds had passed before a foot dug into the side of his stomach.

“Ow!” He groaned in pain, blinking out of whatever disoriented state he somehow fell into. For a minute, he thought he was lying in his cabin, but after wiping his eyes, he realized he was still lying on the floor outside.

A foot kicked him again, sporting a pair of familiar, bright peach sneakers sneakers. Only one person had such impressionable shoes.

“Is he alive?” Someone asked from another direction.

“Probably. He doesn’t look dead to me.” Yerim responded back. She knelt down on her knees, face so close to Mingyu’s that he could unfortunately feel her almost breathing on him. 

His energy level was so low that he couldn’t have shoved her away even if he tried. 

Yerim shook his shoulders a few times, groaning in disgust as she felt the sweat and dirt that had piled up on his shirt. 

“Oh thank god!” Another voice, too many for Mingyu to count at this point, yelled out of nowhere. “We thought you were dead!” 

_How reassuring. Am I not dead?_

Yerim’s warm hand slapped Mingyu straight in the right cheek—not once, but some four times, and that was enough to bring his seemingly lifeless body back from whatever trance it was in. 

“I’m alive! I’m alive! Just stop slapping me okay!” Mingyu yelled at Yerim who was staring back at him with an expectant and doe eyed look.

“Hm. It seems we weren’t lucky enough this time around.”

“Oh shut up, Yerim.” A deeper voice said out of Mingyu’s plane of vision.

The voices continued to bicker as if Mingyu weren’t even there, only magnifying the slight headache that had invaded his head. It was until another voice sharply interrupted the arguing as they yelled, “Guys! We have to get Mingyu back to base camp before it gets dark!”

Mingyu’s vision was slowly starting to return, enough for him to realize it had to be much later than the last time he remembered being up. The sky was now a stir of orange with little hints of blue and pink, meaning he’d spent the better part of the active day out…here.

“Is he okay?” Another voice amongst the batch of people asked. This one was full of anxiety and it didn’t take Mingyu long to figure out that it had to belong to Hyejeong. You didn’t need a clear mind to think of how worried that one must be right now. Mingyu half laughed when he thought of Hyejeong chewing her nails down to the point where they was nothing left to chew, but shook it off. _A little too cruel, Mingyu, just a little._

“He looks fine to me…just out of it.”

“Mingyu, get up!” Yerim hollered, sending a bunch of birds in the area straight for the sky again.

Gathering some strength from the pit of his body, he weakly replied, “I can’t.”

“Why not? You’re alive, aren’t you? It’s almost dark and if we do-“

“I can’t, okay. My ankle,” he sighed in aggravation, but more from the reminder that spurred a burst of pain in his ankle yet again. “I tripped on something and got hurt. I don’t know if its…broken or whatever—I just can’t walk on my own.”

“Oh god.” Joohyun popped forward, but it was clear the little orange first aid kit strapped to her leg would probably do them no good here.

“I don’t suppose you have some kind of magic healing powder in there?” Mingyu joked, trying to lighten the mood, but Joohyun raised an eyebrow, shooting him back a glance fueled with worry and annoyance.

“We don’t have time to check out what’s wrong with you now. It’s going to take us at least an hour to get back to base, and transporting someone with an injury is going to make it harder.”

“Stop being overdramatic!” 

“Yerim, be quiet for two seconds!” Joohyun yelled; the first time Mingyu had heard her raise her voice towards anyone. Even when she had a point to make, the megaphone always did it for her. The others with them, Hyejeong, another head counselor, and a head of black hair Mingyu had no motivation or energy to make out right now, stood in disbelief too.

“The nurse can deal with this later, and we’ll worry about your punishment tomorrow. Let’s get him up and start going guys.” She ordered the group, who immediately scrambled.

“Wait, punishment?” Mingyu asked in a cracked voice.

“Yes, punishment.” Joohyun replied, voice now much more quiet—like normal. "I know you’re like a sick puppy right now, but you still did the wrong thing. Anyways, worry about your ankle for now.”

Mingyu’s face contorted in an expression of bitterness, as if nothing worse could’ve come out of this situation, Injured, in trouble, what was next? They might as well have fired him and sent him blindfolded into the woods alone again.

Joohyun, the other head counselor, and the black-haired boy moved to help Mingyu stand, them doing most of the work. Since his head was totally screwed and flurrying from everything happening at once, Mingyu hadn’t even noticed that the black haired boy was Wonwoo.

“W-wonwoo? You came too?”

Wrapping an arm around his shoulders to try and sustain him (though with Mingyu’s height it wasn’t exactly an easy task), he chuckled and replied, “Of course. You really thought I’d stay back knowing something shitty could’ve happened to you?”

Mingyu was silently grateful Wonwoo was more focused on helping him walk than he was on his face, because it had to be the deepest shade of red humanly possible.

 

* * *

 

The group returned to base camp just as the entire camp was eating dinner in the Mess Hall, all busy enjoying the thursday treat provided for them. No one seemed all that concerned or surprised to see Mingyu back in one piece, instead more focused on the food themselves. 

Upon arrival, Yerim was the first one to disband from the group, already upset that there might not even be any chocolate chip cookies left. 

Hyejeong apologized to Mingyu a million times, even more, but Wonwoo—noticing Mingyu didn’t have to energy to tell her to stop already—told her it was fine and that she could come back and keep apologizing tomorrow.

Joohyun and the other head counselor left the infirmary to tell everyone Mingyu was fine, though he doubted anyone but Wonwoo really cared. 

In the end it was just him and Wonwoo—Mingyu didn’t know whether to be grateful or not. He helped him settle into one of the infirmary cots as they waited for the nurse to return from dinner. Hell, even she didn’t want to miss cookie night.

Wonwoo got up from the bed to open the cooler in the corner of the Infirmary Cabin, filling a small baggie up with some ice before he came back and placed it on his ankle over a thin piece of cloth. “That’s probably what Nurse Sohee would do.”

“Thanks.” 

Though the air was light and fresh, smelling like a mix of wood and over-sterilized tools, Mingyu couldn’t help but feel a small string of tension somewhere in there. Something wasn’t right.

Breaking the silence that had lingered for a few minutes, Mingyu bitterly mumbled, “I can’t believe they’re really going to give me a punishment for this.”

“Ah, don’t worry. If they see something is really wrong with your ankle, they’ll probably just forget all about it.”

Sighing, Mingyu replied, “I don’t know what to do anymore. Everything is wrong. When I try, it’s wrong. When I don’t try, it’s wrong.”

Mingyu had never been that much of a perfectionist in life, but he had never messed up to this extent—enough to drive him against the wall. Even if he was on the verge of death he’d always find a way to finish his stack of Calculus homework or make it to practice—on time too.

“Stop trying so hard.” Wonwoo said blankly. “Do you think I just automatically did everything right from the moment I got here?”

In slight bewilderment but beginning to understanding his point, Mingyu held his mouth open a little before shaking it off. It was hard to imagine him not being good with children, as it just seemed like second nature. 

“It’s not like I was born a super counselor; I’m not even one now.My first summer wasn’t perfect at all. The first week of counseling, I accidentally spilt orange juice all over a head counselor.”

His eyes grew a few sizes as they both burst into laughter.

Through laughs and stutters, so much that they were shaking, Wonwoo continued, “And it gets even worse! The next day I spilled orange juice all over Soonyoung too!”

Mingyu chuckled so hard he felt his face getting redder and the pain shooting through his ankle from shaking so much, but he didn’t mind. He pictured the soft and cheerful Soonyoung with juice running down his blonde hair and staining his sweatbands, and felt bad for laughing even harder at the image.

“See? I messed up a whole bunch of times my first year, and I’m still alive now. I’m still breathing, aren’t I?”

“Yeah.” Mingyu shrugged, finally settling down from the fit of laughter. 

Wonwoo sat up straight against the wall, sitting as far back on the infirmary bed as he possibly could, and adjusted the bag of ice on Mingyu’s ankle. “None of us were amazing when we started. Okay…we didn’t get lost in the forest the fourth day of camp, but we all had our days.”

“Soonyoung used to scare the youngest campers because he was so overly peppy that they couldn’t take it. I still remember them running away in tears when he tried to do an impression of the Hulk.”

If it was hard for Mingyu to picture Wonwoo messing up, it was even harder for him to picture Grade-A-Soonyoung making a bunch of grade schoolers cry.

“Obviously he learned to tone it down. Jihoon got in trouble for arguing with older counselors. He used to do it all the time, until one day he almost cursed at one of them, then he pretty much learned his lesson.”

Wonwoo went through the list, recounting stories of the other counselors past failures: Jun playing hide-and-seek with some campers and losing two of them for over an hour, Seokmin spilling black paint all over a bunch of brand new camp brochures, and even delicate Minghao breaking the door of the Main Cabin. Everyone seemed to have messed up enough—despite the fact it wasn’t to the extent that Mingyu had.

Mingyu was not the least bit shocked to hear that Yerim had been quite immature her first weeks in counseling, smirking as he said, “Go figure.”

“Yeah, but she got her act together quick. Quicker than any of us.”

“She’s still annoying though.”

“Yeah, but she found away to annoy everyone without getting in trouble. Pretty slick if you ask me.”

In his usual comforting manner, Wonwoo lightly patted Mingyu’s leg—the one that wasn’t aching with pain every two seconds. “Everyone needs a little fine tuning.”

_Fine tuning_ , Mingyu thought. It was convincing hearing everyone else’s mess ups, but not convincing enough. The sharp pinpoint of messing up over and over until he had nothing to show for his family tapped in the back of his brain. Maybe it was just better to give up now and just find a job at home. It was still the first week of camp, and they’d probably be able to find someone better, someone more efficient. Staring up at the ceiling of the wooden cabin, Mingyu felt light-headed, dizzy for more reasons than one.

He blinked up, noticing Wonwoo slightly staring at him, before he smiled and looked away again. 

Mingyu didn’t doubt that if he left he’d miss Wonwoo—maybe even a little more than he missed his teammates, but was that enough? His file cabinet of feelings was a complete mess, disorderly with folders falling out every two minutes and papers in the wrong spots. Mingyu wasn’t even sure if he was feeling something real for Wonwoo other than a tinge of strong friendship.

For a moment, he tried to compare it to his friendship to Seungcheol or Jeonghan, but they were so polarized that it was pointless. Seungcheol was more like an relaxed brother, and Jeonghan—the king of nagging and fixing Mingyu’s countless dumb mistakes in school. They were the kind of friend you’d joke around with, someone who made fun of the way he always tripped during practice or his terrible flirting attempts, and of course cheered him up when they had to—not the kind of friends you wanted to do _more than friend things with_.

“Maybe I should just go.” Mingyu said, voice half whispered, mostly from the exhaustion the day had unexpectedly brought on.

“You can’t go back to the cabin yet; the nurse has-“

“I meant go home.” Mingyu shortly cut off Wonwoo’s words. He attempted to sit up, but Wonwoo stopped him in his tracks, motioning for him to lay back down again. 

“Why would you want to do that? I just told you everyone here messes up!” Wonwoo’s voice seemed more edged with harshness now, a slither of panic climbing up his throat as he asked Mingyu.

Mingyu barely even noticed because he was too busy trying to sort his ‘folders’ out. “I don’t think anyone would even miss me…I mean the campers barely ask me for anything; the head counselors seem annoyed every time I walk by. And I don’t think Yerim missing me—for whatever reason—is enough to keep me here.”

“You don’t think that I would miss you? What, am I just irrelevant now?” Wonwoo said, a small hint of anxiousness buried under the calm mask of his voice.

Mingyu’s ears perked up, burning with heat until his entire face—his whole body, was profoundly heating up. Suddenly, the pain and swelling centered around his ankle didn’t feel half as bad as Wonwoo’s blank gaze on him, probably noticing his apparent embarrassment. 

Before he could muster any excuse for it, Wonwoo interrupted, faking a laugh. “You’re underestimating everyone around you, you know?”

Mingyu didn’t have any time to answer yet again, as the Infirmary Cabin door swung open, hinges creaking, followed by the screen slamming shut. The nurse walked in, Sohee, carrying a few bags of stuff neither cared enough to really guess about, and a small tray of food in the other. Her hair was died an inauthentic, but still nice, orangey color, and she appeared to be pretty young, like a newly graduated nurse working at an elementary school. She dropped the belongings on one cabin counter before wiping her hands on her white jacket and shooting a warm grin at both boys.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything!”

Both Mingyu and Wonwoo tried to laugh along with her, awkwardly turning away from their glances that they didn’t realize were so strongly interlocked until she began speaking again.

“I brought you some food, since I figured you haven’t eaten all day.” Nurse Sohee walked across the room to the bed Mingyu was currently dying on, offering him the plate of food. “Sorry, it’s not that hot anymore, but I did manage to snag some cookies for you!” 

Wonwoo stood up from the bed, watching as Sohee tried to place the food on Mingyu’s lap, and helped him sit up straight.

“By the way, Counselor Wonwoo, the Mess Hall saved some dinner for you too. It’s almost curfew so I had to let you know you should eat while you still have time.”

“No worries. I was just getting ready to go anyways. Thanks Nurse Sohee,” Wonwoo said, giving both of them a courteous smile before moving to go.

Mingyu tried to say something, anything, but Nurse Sohee was already forcing him to down a glass of water, muttering something about healing and hydration. 

Wonwoo turned back again, quickly glancing at Mingyu once more—then turning away a little too fast, before saying “Goodnight guys,” and disappearing from the cabin just as quickly as Sohee had entered. 

 

* * *

 

    The next morning, Sohee had carefully inspected Mingyu’s ankle, assuring it was nothing for him to worry about too much—a sprain that would heal in no time. She softly elevated it using a few pillows, then placed a black ankle brace on it. “Don’t go fooling around or getting lost in the forest again. You’re quite lucky something worse didn’t happen to you yesterday.”

“I know, thanks.” He mumbled in gratefulness, voice still unable to gather strength. He was glad that while it still hurt, it was far less than the initial shock of pain that hit when he fell.  

“You look a bit tired…maybe you should try and get some more sleep?” Sohee suggested, standing up from the edge of the bed to place her kit in a cabinet.

Though Mingyu hadn’t seen himself in the mirror yet, he could tell he was more than a mess. He still wore the dirty, overly sticky clothes from yesterdays hike that were already past reeking of sweat. His hair must’ve been a little grimy, and surely bags sat underneath each eye. 

Not even the wave of exhaustion brought on by camp disaster could lull him to sleep with all the racing thoughts of Wonwoo in his head last night. Every little act, word of kindness that he’d displayed to Mingyu had somehow stuck itself in his mind, like papers tacked on the camp bulletin boards.

_“You don’t think that I would miss you?”_ repeated over and over in his mind like the chorus of a song, lyrics tattooed in every inch of his brain. 

It was a given that Mingyu would miss Wonwoo—a lot, given he’d never gotten so close with someone so fast—he just didn’t expect Wonwoo to so blatantly say something like that. But then again, if Mingyu had learned anything over and over the past two weeks, Wonwoo wasn't the most predictable person, of course.

Right on cue with Mingyu’s thoughts rushing early in the morning, the Infirmary Cabin door flung open, welcoming not only Wonwoo, but Jihoon and Yerim.

The former two he was perfectly okay with seeing, but Yerim? Had he not had enough pain the last twenty-four hours?

“We bring gifts!” Wonwoo sing-songed, the awkward tension from yesterday now dissipated with the day itself. 

“Not really gifts—just food.” Jihoon muttered, carrying a breakfast plate for Mingyu. 

“God, you look awful.” Yerim muttered, handing him a bottle of orange juice. 

“Gee, that’s the first thing you say to a poor injured soul…”

Both Jihoon and Yerim began to laugh, Jihoon rolling his eyes as he took a piece of food off of Mingyu’s plate and popped it in his own mouth.

“Like I said, overdramatic. You’re still alive aren’t you? And you don’t even have to work for the entire weekend!” Yerim groaned, pulling up one of the wooden chairs from the corner of the room.

Wonwoo and Jihoon did the same, and although Wonwoo didn’t seem as off as the end of yesterday night, he didn’t seem to have much to say.

“No thanks to you, we have to cover more kids in each group!”

“Don’t be overdramatic yourself, Yerim.” Jihoon rolled his eyes again. “It’s only like three more kids than usual.”

“No work today?” Mingyu asked with his mouth open in shock, but soon to stuff it with a spoonful of food.

“Not for you, at least.” Jihoon replied back. “Head Counselor Sungyeon said you’d better sit it out this weekend, but you’ll be glad to know, they expect you right back out there, garnering strikes like nobody's business on Monday!” Jihoon said an enthusiastic yet obviously sarcastic voice.

“It sucks.” Wonwoo finally spoke up to say, scratching the back of his neck. “Saturdays are the best cause you get to swim in the lake and stuff…”

“The injured can’t swim anyways.” Yerim pointed out, taking a sip of her own juice that she had brought along.

“At least you can still go to the bonfire tonight! I think Seungkwan and Seokmin are dueting tonight!” Sohee called from the corner, busily cleaning jars of some unidentifiable green substance.

“Yeah…I think I’d better sit it out.” Mingyu said, finished the last of his breakfast. He was hungry, but his appetite diminished in the mix of Yerim’s presence and Wonwoo’s….well, his everything. 

Wonwoo’s mouth was left hanging open about to ask himself, but he closed it promptly when Jihoon did so first.

“Why.” Jihoon stated, rather than asking.

“Too tired. No one wants me there anyways.”

“God, can you stop playing the most-hated-counselor already!” Yerim groaned, standing up from her seat to throw his plate of food away.

Mingyu waited to see if Wonwoo would throw in something sweet, but he sat silently in his seat, staring at the screen door. _Maybe I was reading him wrong….maybe he just meant it as a friend. Of course he did._ Mingyu mentalled smacked himself upside the head. It was stupid to even think for a minute Wonwoo would miss him other than for the reason of having someone to play cards with on the cabin floor at midnight or wake him up whenever he overslept. It had _only_ been two weeks. 

“You should know,” Wonwoo finally started, shifting in his seat, “All the kids on Team C were worried about you. A bunch of them asked me if you were okay when I went to the Mess Hall last night. They even asked me to give you this.”

He pulled out something from under the seat—something Mingyu didn’t know how he could’ve missed before because it was so big and bright a bird could probably spot it from miles up in the sky. Wonwoo handed Mingyu a bright orange card, cover graced with sloppy drawings and scribbles so obviously done by the hands of children.

Mingyu’s face was frozen between confusion and something like a tinge of happiness, smiling slowly growing with each word he read on the cover. “Feel Better Conselor Mingyu!” His smile fully settled from cheek to cheek as he saw the misspelled word.

Upon opening it, he saw a bunch of names, some neat, some not so neat—some obnoxiously large, others small and hidden in the corners.

“The campers threw it together this morning during Craft time, and asked Yerim and I if we could bring it to the others in Team C to sign it.” Wonwoo pointed at the signatures of Team C counselors themselves on the back.

“For the record, it wasn’t our idea.” Yerim muttered.

“Of course it wasn’t, it’s too nice to be something you came up with,” Jihoon said in his usual annoyed tone. 

Yerim slapped him on the shoulder immediately as everyone began laughing, even Sohee.

“I told you.” Wonwoo murmured quietly at first, but grew louder the next time. “I told you we’d miss you if you were gone.”

_We’d._

Mingyu sighed, brushing his hair out of his face, then pressing his face in his hands. As if the ankle ordeal wasn’t enough to deal with for now. 

 


	8. Maze of Surprises

A week came and went like leaves getting picked up by the wind and floating far away, although it didn’t feel that fast—considering Mingyu couldn’t walk that quickly or far without having to sit again. Sohee reassured him it would only take around a week, maybe a little more, for his sprained ankle to heal, then he’d be back 'terrorizing' the children of camp as the job required.

They set him loose from the Infirmary the next day, and from that point he spent the entire weekend lying in bed and wishing he could close his eyes and wake up in a room with air conditioning. 

Wonwoo promptly returned from camp activities on Saturday, going on and on about how fun it was swimming with the campers and playing relay games in the main square—so full of excitement with each word that Mingyu almost had to shake himself out of his ridiculous trance of awe. Wonwoo always talked what was happening, about everyone else—talked about the campers and dinner treats and campfire duets, but Mingyu just wished he would say what he was _really_ thinking.

His ankle didn’t feel so bad, but still not well enough for him to consider sitting with a bunch of campers in near darkness—singing songs by a fire, chanting their hearts out, out of key of course. He just felt gracious that Joohyun begged the rest of the Head Counselors to waive his punishment, figuring they could let this one slide, but they didn't forget to warn him the next mess up would hit twice as hard.

“You’re not coming?” Wonwoo asked quietly, tucking his current read under his pillow, and beginning to climb down the top bunk.

“Nope.” 

“Still being a baby about your ankle?” Wonwoo teased, but inside he was somewhat irked that Mingyu didn’t even consider leaving the cabin tonight. He had to beg Mingyu to do everything now that his 'ankle' was keeping him, but in the back of his mind, he didn’t believe that was particularly the reason. 

“I’m almost done recovering, okay.” Mingyu shot back in a playful tone, unable to see Wonwoo’s disappointment because he was too busy facing the wall with his back to him.

“Alrighty then. We should be back in an hour. I’l-We’ll miss you over at the bonfire.” Wonwoo quickly corrected himself, head immediately dropping to look at ground as if he were a student about to be scolded by his teacher. 

Again, Mingyu was too busy wallowing in his own-self pity and submerged thoughts to recognize the slip up; staring at the pictures taped on the wall next to his bunk, hoping for answers and simplicity, but not willing to see what was right in front of him. 

 

* * *

 

Since Mid-July rolled around, it was only fitting that the next Saturday was swelteringly hot—enough to make anyone sweat just by stepping out of the shade. Mingyu was advised by Sohee not to swim, but after last night, Wonwoo would’ve done just about anything to get Mingyu to leave the cabin for two minutes, not that he knew that.

Wonwoo must’ve asked—insisted—ten times before Mingyu finally agreed, throwing off the worn out blanket he had grown accustomed to from lying around so much.

“You’re not gonna make me get down on my knees for you, are you?” Wonwoo slighted. 

“Your k-knees? O-of course no-“ Mingyu stuttered awkwardly, wishing he could bury his face in the raggedy pillow behind him, but Wonwoo interrupted him before he show that he clearly caught the wrong— _way wrong_ —implication. 

“Trust me, you’re gonna get sick if you sit in this stuffy little cabin for another day. Hurry up and get finish getting ready. I have to bring something to Head Counselor Sungyeon, but I’ll be back in five minutes.” Wonwoo said before either could protest or mutter another word.

“What did you do to him, Mingyu?” Jihoon laughed, still lying flat on his own mattress, headphone in one ear, the other lying on his pillow.

“…What are you talking about?”

Jihoon laughed again before waving his hand off, saying “Never mind, never mind. Have fun at the lake.”

“You’re not going either?” Mingyu asked, picking a t-shirt out of the drawer that was always neatly organized, one thing he could actually do right without trying. 

“Of course not. Why would I want to swim with a bunch of screaming kids when I could be here, listening to music, writing? Plus, I don’t have a Wonwoo to beg me.” Jihoon snickered.

Mingyu eyed Jihoon, trying to pick up whatever he was implying—if he knew something that he didn’t, but figured it was just Jihoon being regular old Jihoon. 

Hansol, Jisoo, and Chan all went to the lake straight after breakfast, so they were not in the cabin, and Jihoon would be left to his own devices.

The five minutes flew by and Wonwoo returned, ready to drag Mingyu by his collar from the cabin all the way to the lake if he had to.

“God, it’s so fucking hot outside today.” Wonwoo muttered when they walked on the dirt path, little pebbles and the occasional bug. Since going to the lake was optional, some people opted to stay behind like Jihoon, but with the heat soaring at over 85 degrees, it was no mystery to either boy how the lake could appear so crowded even from a distance.

They could see the small bodies overflowing in the water like ants foaming at the tops of anthills, splashing water and chucking sand everywhere until they got scolded. 

While the water itself was filled with the kids, most of the counselors were lying under tattered, obviously not-so-new umbrellas, basking in the freedom of not having to do activities requiring real effort. One even brought a small speaker that was blasting the current girl group hits of the summer at full volume.  
   
The sun glazed sweat over them within minutes, and Mingyu could’ve sworn there was already sand inside of his brace, which he would not be happier to finally be rid of when the time came. 

Crossing over the many little cliques, all tight but scattered like schools of fish; Wonwoo motioned for Mingyu to follow. 

After walking across the long stretch of sand, they finally stopped to settle in a spot far from the original entrance of the lake. Jun, Soonyoung, and Minghao sat on rundown towels, the former two chattering on and on about something, while Minghao sat with a calm, blank expression.

They all greeted each other; Wonwoo immediately swooped into the conversation about some new album released earlier in the week Mingyu had no interest in. 

Mingyu followed suite when Wonwoo sat down on one of the towels, but he turned away, much to his disdain. Facing away from the sun, Mingyu further drowned in his thoughts like a child in the lake losing their footing and falling all the way in. He was deep, so deep that the only thing he could see around him was nothing but blue and green, cloudiness—the murky sand like his thoughts just drifting all around him, all so conflicted. 

God, Mingyu didn’t exactly want the thoughts to keep going—but he didn’t want them to stop.

Jun, Soonyoung, and Wonwoo all decided the heat was too much to sit through for another minute, coating their faces with spots of sunscreen before retreating to the large body of water in front of them. Despite the lake being full to the brim, it glistened with its woody green shade, some edges reflecting the blue sky hanging peacefully above them.

Mingyu was left awkwardly with Minghao, one of the few counselors he knew to be the same age as him. They had talked every once and a while, just a few words in between conversations with others involved—if any. He was a sort of lanky kid with deep brown hair, and remembered Hansol noting his Korean wasn’t all that great, but obviously his Chinese was amazing and he could talk a lot when he was comfortable enough.

The only other thing he could recount off the top of his head was that somehow, he was always with Jun, and if he wasn’t—something had to be wrong. 

“Not in the mood to swim?” Mingyu interrupted in the silence—though the constant ring of laughter and Head Counselors yelling wasn’t really a considerable silence.

“Not really,” Minghao smiley politely. “Does your…ankle...” he said a few times, making sure it was the right word, “feel better now?”

“It feels a lot better than before,” Mingyu smiled back. “I don’t know if I’d swim even if it was feeling fine though.” He added, “It’s like a hot pot over there.” He nodded at the lake. Like a mix of ingredients warmed by the brilliant sun, the lake was truly loaded by the masses.

“I don’t really like to swim that much.” Minghao stated plainly. 

Mingyu nodded in understanding as silence filled the space between them once more, though not entirely awkward, just there. Mingyu laid down on his towel, eyes protected from the harsh light of the sun by the umbrella that still had little holes prickled everywhere, but it was okay. 

 _Maybe I can sleep a little out here_ , he thought, but after about ten minutes of trying to doze off, Mingyu realized it was neither the best idea nor easy to sleep like a sticky clam in the middle of the burning heat. 

Mingyu opened his eyes when he oddly felt some strong gaze settled upon him, seeing Minghao staring straight at him—but he looked away quickly. Yet, just seconds later, Minghao looked back at him.

“Mingyu…can I ask you something?”

“Sure, I guess.” Mingyu replied, sitting up straight. A little sand slid off of his shirt and onto the towel.

Minghao’s face was next-level-red, be it from the heat tearing them apart or for a reason Mingyu hoped was not the case, while he spoke up to say, “What do you do when you know that…someone likes you?”

Maybe Mingyu had heard wrong, he figured, eyes nearly popping out of his head as he titled his head to the side, later squinting. “…Repeat the question?” Mingyu asked, dumbfounded. He did not know what path this could be going up.

“When you know someone likes you…what should you do?”

Mingyu’s mouth hung open slightly as he tried to figure out why Minghao of all people would be asking him this. In between his own issues with Wonwoo and the rest of the world, he was definitely no relationship guru. “Minghao…I don’t really know what to say. Do you like them too? How do you know they like you?” He asked, but careful not to bombard him with too many questions at once.

If he could help, it couldn’t hurt to try. The list of things Mingyu learned only grew large each day, recalling the worse thing he could do beside messing up with Campers, was getting on Counselors’ bad sides. 

“I just…” Minghao started, with his chest rising and falling unsteadily. “He always asks me to go everywhere with him…like in the middle of the night, sometimes he wakes me up when he doesn’t want to walk…to the bathroom cabins alone. I-I know that doesn’t mean anything, but I-“ Minghao continued, fidgeting with his fingers in a slight panic. Mingyu could see he was quite like Hyejeong in their mannerisms, though a much, much less anxious version.  
   
“And since we were both here last year…we talked a lot during the year. He was always telling me in…messages? Messages, that he missed me and stuff.” Minghao appeared to be embarrassed even talking about such things out loud, face still burning and his words even slower and less precise than usual.

Sighing, Mingyu replied back, “Honestly Minghao, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never gone out with anyone, or even confessed, so…”

His next look appeared to be even more shocked than the one Mingyu wore when he initially heard the question, shifting on the blanket as he responded in a confused voice, “You haven’t?”

“Nope.”  Mingyu curiously wondered how surprised he’d be if and when he found out Mingyu had never even kissed anyone.

“I just…I thought since…you know…”

“You know what?” Mingyu said, perhaps a little to strongly, but mostly from the confusion that was blooming at rate faster dandelions popping into wild, grassy fields.

“They’re always looking at you. And you’re always…I don’t know, looking at them too?” Minghao nodded in the direction of the other counselors, sending a flurry of female counselors turning their gazes to the other direction in an instant. Was he missing something here?

“Were they looking at _me_?” Mingyu asked in bewilderment, while Minghao simply nodded.

Looking back, he clearly saw a handful of counselors scattered, some turning away in embarrassment again, while one—one of the bleach blondes on Team F, he recalled, winked at him. 

Mingyu closed his eyes in disbelief and decided to avert their gazes for the rest of the time at the lake.

“You don’t notice?”

 _Of course I don’t notice_ , Mingyu thought. _I’m too busy thinking of someone else._ Mingyu looked up at Wonwoo, who wasn’t far off. 

He was busy pushing Soonyoung around in the deep green water, splashing each other endlessly like children at play, and he felt a string of jealousy strum within his body. Now he remembered why he didn’t even want to leave the cabin this morning. Not being around him was better than watching him have more fun with someone else while he sat like an injured toddler watching the others have fun through a window.

They tugged on each other's soaked shirts, laughed wildly as if they were the only ones in the water, and only Minghao’s voice speaking again could interrupt his steady stream of overly jealous insults floating around his racing conscious. 

“I’m sorry for assuming that…you know…stuff about you, Mingyu.” His voice was low and courteous in apology, as if Mingyu weren’t a friend, but a Head Counselor about to punish him.

“Don’t apologize. You just figured the wrong thing is all. Did you really come up with that…idea, whatever idea that is, on your own though?” Mingyu wondered if Minghao really gave a crap about him enough to assume that Mingyu was some Casanova who had been rewarding female counselors with almost too friendly glances. 

“No…I don’t want to rat them out though.”

“Come on,” Mingyu punched Minghao lightly on the shoulder. “It’s not like I’m gonna kill whoever told you, I just wanna know.”

“Okay.” Minghao started, the sun reflecting beams of glowing light in his soft brown eyes. His voice was low and whispery, making it hard for Mingyu to hear over the hollers of everyone in the background. “The other night I heard Jun and Soonyoung talking. They were saying all this stuff about how you were a basketball player on a really good team…stuff like that. Kind of like a player? A player?” He reiterated, waiting for him to confirm it was the right word.

For a moment, Mingyu didn’t know if he meant a player as in basketball player or _player_ player—and he kind of didn’t want to either.

“They said something about Wonwoo too, but I don’t really know why they would think you’re that kind of guy? Maybe…they don’t realize you don’t flirt with any of the counselors who try to flirt with you…” Minghao reasoned for him, shooting him an empathetic glance again.

 _Why would Soonyoung and Jun be talking about me and…Wonwoo?_ Mingyu asked himself. Looking over at Soonyoung and Wonwoo again, a bitter taste filled his mouth. _Fuck no_. He thought to himself. Mingyu watched as Soonyoung laughed with Wonwoo, still holding a bright, strong smile when Wonwoo looked away, and he knew that with the healing of his ankle, just another dilemma was coming his way. 

The only thing that was missing was Yerim’s annoying self, but luckily, as Mingyu searched the perimeter of the lake with his eyes, that one was nowhere to be found.

“That guy…” Mingyu started, still thinking he could help Minghao a little. After all, he did provide some useful information for him in turn today. “I think that everything will work out fine. You said yourself that you think he likes you right? And you like him so…all I can really say is just take the opportunity when it comes.”

 _Take the opportunity when it comes_ , a line Seungcheol was always preaching to the rest of the basketball team in his strong and spirited voice. Mingyu let himself wish for the basketball team and all their straightforwardness once again.

If he couldn’t help himself, he could at least offer the advice to someone who might use it.

 

* * *

 

“Look at him.” Jun muttered, tone full of grating discontent, pausing in the water with only his head sticking out over the glistening surface. The sun was pinned fully over them—at its strongest— but they still would’ve rather been swimming then sweating up enough to match the amount of water in the lake. 

The three of them looked over at Minghao and Mingyu, both seeming to converse pretty well under the notion that Minghao wasn’t much of a talker.

Ticked with jealously, Jun continued mumbling, “Who does he think he is? Minghao is like an innocent lamb!” 

“Oh, please.” Soonyoung laughed, swirling back and forth in the water. “Minghao is barely a year younger than you; you don’t have to act like he’s some naïve baby.”

“By my standards, he is.” Jun replied back matter-of-factly.

Wonwoo, lost in the waves of their conversation, tried to understand what they were talking about as he waded in place himself.  “Why are you so worried?” He piped up eventually, slipping closer to the two.

“Oh, its nothing.” Soonyoung tried to shrug off, but he sounded far from assuring.

“Like you don’t already know.” Jun replied opposing, voice almost trickling with wet venom. Even in the blinding light, Wonwoo could see his frown was showing an annoyed expression, eyebrows sketched in a harsh angle.

“Know what?” 

“Don’t you notice?” Jun nodded at Mingyu again, who was now lightly laughing at whatever conversation him and Minghao carried on. Wonwoo thought of his sweet…unique laugh filling the air from his spot, and felt warmer than the sun already made him feel before. Sinking further into the water, he responded, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did Mingyu do something to you?”

“He just existed is all,” Soonyoung cut in, laughing so loudly that he was flailing his arms and close to accidentally slipping deeper into the water.

“Look at the way he’s flirting with Minghao. God, I hope he isn’t stupid enough to fall for his tricks.”

“Mingyu? Flirting? With Minghao? Yeah right.” Pushing himself backwards using his feet, sand floating between his toes and pebbles shifting, he started to back away, closer to Soonyoung.

“Isn’t it obvious? Minghao doesn’t talk with just anybody!”

“You’re…. overreacting.” Wonwoo said, staring back at Mingyu and Minghao. They sat a fine distance apart on their towels, only opening their mouths to chat every once and a while. Wonwoo was ready to turn away, not seeing what Jun was blabbing on about like a broken copy machine, until he clearly saw Minghao’s face ring red under the shade of the umbrella, hiding his head by nestling it into his shirt. 

Mingyu turned away in the same tense manner, biting his cheek, something Wonwoo knew he did when he was either nervous, embarrassed, or a steady mix of both.

Soon the two began to speak on again, Mingyu waving his hands awkwardly as a kind of “no, no!” gesture. 

Looking over at Jun, Wonwoo only saw him roll his eyes again as he turned around, obviously bothered by the sight.

 _Mingyu’s not_ …Wonwoo thought in silence. _He doesn’t_ ….

 _No_ …Wonwoo consoled himself. If anything, Mingyu was way too clumsy, too messy, too...Mingyu, to be just plainly flirting like that—wasn’t he? “I think it’s just a misunderstanding.” Wonwoo spoke, tripping over words like an amateur runner in a relay race with messy footing. “Why would he flirt with him in the open like that where we could all see?”

“Cause he’s a douche that’s why.” Jun grumbled, earning a loud slap on the shoulder from Soonyoung, beating Wonwoo to the chase.

“Jun! He’s not a douche; you’re just reading into those shitting rumors everyone in this camp is always trying to spread!”

“Rumors? Seriously?” Wonwoo groaned, growing tired of swimming and this pathetic conversation. “What rumors…”

“Some counselor supposedly goes to the same high school as Mingyu.” Soonyoung started with the gossip, trying to calm down a moody Jun by splashing water in his face playfully, in which he fired back a little too harshly. “She said that girls were always all over Mingyu and stuff—you know how he’s a basketball player and all. That stupid stereotypical jock stuff, but just cause he’s a jock doesn’t mean it’s true.” Soonyoung reasoned.

Wonwoo nodded thoughtfully at both Soonyoung and his actual words. Being friends for years, he loved how Soonyoung may not have liked Mingyu that much, but at least he could still be rational. Wonwoo secretly wished the two would get along, and then maybe his life here would be perfect to the T. 

“But…” Jun continued on for him, pausing from splashing to say, “He could be one of them. And I wouldn’t put it past that dope either. If he messes up so much, what makes you think he’s not some charmer too? Probably charmed the Head Counselors from evading that punishment.”

Wonwoo, beginning to grow severely irritated, voice trying to maintain level, rose from the water, stood up straight to exit the lake. “Shut the fuck up, Jun.”

“Don’t assume something about him just because a rando told you to, and don’t assume Minghao is _your_ innocent little baby either. If you’re so worried about Mingyu stealing him from you, maybe _you_ should make the move you’ve been planning for god knows how long. You aren’t doing yourself or him any favors.”

Wonwoo got out before he could say something worse, only realizing the cruel intensity of his words after it was too late. He grew closer to Mingyu and Minghao with each slow and sandy step, both seeming to have a friendly conversation—definitely not flirting. Without even saying a single word to either of them, Wonwoo collected his belongings and walked away, leaving Mingyu, the other counselors, and the sand all behind him.

His dad once told him before the incident, if something gets to you, maybe you should take a step back, and a deep breath too.

 

* * *

  
When Mingyu saw Wonwoo just blatantly grab his things and leave without so much as a goodbye, he was instantly struck with a basket full of thoughts, all wondering if he had done something wrong—of course. His fried nerve ends from so much inner conflict told him the most reasonable thing to do would be to follow Wonwoo, but at the same rate, he didn’t want to appear so desperate and suffocating when he wasn't sure how either of them felt about each other.

“Is there someone you like too, Mingyu?” Minghao interrupted his little tirade of thoughts, staring curiously into his eyes.

Smiling, figuring he could trust this one, he replied before standing up to leave, “Yeah. There is.”

 

* * *

 

Wonwoo was nestled between two large boulders in the space between the recreation cabin and the lake, staring blankly at the tall, green trees that knew their place, and would never leave. He wasn’t crying, wasn’t about to, but all he could think of was how stupid everyone at the camp could be sometimes. 

The day Mingyu had gotten lost and sprained his ankle, anxiety ate at him like a huge plethora of vicious sea creatures attacking the same teensy, helpless fish—swelling inside him like a bubble that could pop any second. It was hard to deny, so he didn’t even bother. He knew that Mingyu wasn’t becoming less and less of an average friend to him as each day passed.

Smushing his hands into his sticky palms, he sighed, thinking about all the good things he lost just when he was happiest he had them. He couldn’t tell Mingyu, especially when now it seemed like his attentions were diverted elsewhere, but how could he have not seen it before? 

Jun was probably right. The other counselors may not have found him the sharpest, most efficient kid at the moment, but not undateable, and _certainly_ not unattractive. Maybe he just didn’t think Mingyu was even an option until he was sitting in isolation all because he was mad about a stupid rumor Jun probably didn’t even mean to tick him off with.

 _This is why feelings are so fucking dumb._   _Three_   _weeks of hell, and only a steady seven more to go_. He mumbled under his breath, skidding a rock into the woods so hard that he could hear it hit a tree from his spot. _This is why you don’t get attached to people you might never see again when summer ends._

He alternated between his father’s treasured quotes and his drilling thoughts like a mantra, unaware that Mingyu’s mind was probably just as destroyed as his was at this point. So unaware of his surroundings, ripping pieces of grass from the ground, that he didn’t even notice Mingyu sitting down next to him.

“Was it that easy to find me?” Wonwoo said, but didn’t make any eye contact.

“Not really.” Mingyu mumbled. “It was actually kind of hard, but Soonyoung told me where I might find you.”

“A good kid, that one.” Wonwoo smiled, causing Mingyu jump back to his earlier thoughts—but now wasn’t the time for jealously.

The sounds of the campers still splashing in the water and having fun still sounded, in a muffled fashion, in the distance. Mingyu tried to ignore the typical grotty atmosphere to say, “What did they say to you…or did I do something?”

Wonwoo paused for a moment, leaving a bridge of silence, invisible yet strong threads, hanging between them. “No…it’s stupid. It was dumb of me to even think it was true for a second, now that I think about it.”

“They told you I was some flirt, right?” Mingyu questioned, but not in a invasive manner. His voice was calm, not at all mad—but understanding, just like he knew Wonwoo would’ve been for him. “Some dreamy Casanova secretly slipping the female counselors my number after dinner time?”

“Something like that.” Wonwoo replied, feeling bad that he even let himself doubt it in the first place.

“Well, I’ve got some news for you, Jeon Wonwoo. Kim Mingyu has never had a girlfriend, or a boyfriend, can’t flirt without spilling punch all over someone or tripping down a staircase..and he’s never kissed anyone either.”

Wonwoo didn’t know why Mingyu bothered to mention the later fact, but he was more than glad he did. Fuzziness erupted in his stomach, trying to bite his cheeks from smiling so hard from hearing it. Thankfully, years of counseling taught one to hide certain expressions at the right times, but maybe he shouldn’t have in front of Mingyu. The white butterfly that floated by was all too fitting for that moment, landing on one of the boulders next to them.

Mingyu’s face was stripped with embarrassment, then he figured it was stupid if he could give Minghao advice, but couldn’t take it himself. 

It had been moments since either had spoke, so it wasn’t much of a shock that Mingyu began to regret it instantly, especially when Wonwoo started to laugh as if he were reading one of the terrible grade school joke books he had packed away in his storage bins. Still, it was better than him acting all mopey.

“Don’t laugh! I just haven’t had the opportunity yet!” Mingyu charged back playfully. 

“I-I’m not laughing because of that!” Wonwoo chuckled. 

Mingyu was simply glad that somehow—that was enough to make him happier, for whatever reason, even if it wasn’t the one he’d wished it was. He smiled endearingly at Wonwoo, shooting the signature grin that sported his canines.

Wonwoo liked those too, he liked more about Mingyu than he could list at that moment—than he realized before.

“I’m laughing because everyone here was going on and on behind our backs about you being some player, yet you haven’t even kissed anyone yet!”

Mingyu gave him a goofy look before smiling again. 

“Seriously though, it’s not that big of a deal. It is kind of surprising, but considering you look the way you do, I’m sure that won’t last for much longer,” Wonwoo let slip out before he realized he even thought of it. And unlike every last time in the past three weeks, Mingyu _definitely_ noticed this time. 

He shifted, crinkling the leaves underneath, probably breaking a few tiny twigs before awkwardly staring at the sky—biting his cheek too.

Wonwoo didn’t fail to recognize that small habit he’d tuned himself to understand.

“Have you?” Mingyu asked, noticing Wonwoo’s new look of confusion before continuing, “you know…kissed anyone?”

The previous bridge between them reappeared, though this time it was more awkward than silent, like the threads were coated with thick cement.

“Yeah.” Wonwoo said blankly, almost apologetically. “But it doesn’t matter. My dad always said just because it's the first of something, doesn't  always make it the best.” 

Nodding in accordance, Mingyu (regretfully) let him self linger on Wonwoo’s face, the precise curve of his jaw, his adam's apple rise and fall when he swallowed thickly, the lips that he didn’t want to think about for another second, but couldn't stop. 

He silently thought that Wonwoo’s dad just might have been wrong. If Wonwoo—by some glorious miracle—ended up being his first kiss, who was to say it wouldn’t be the best after all?

Just moments later, Minghao appeared out of the blue, calling for the two of them. He must’ve been uncomfortable at seeing their proximity, unapparent to each other—but clear to him—as he scratched his neck. “Soonyoung wanted me to make sure you guys didn’t get lost…you know, cause of what happened last week. Anyways, everyone is leaving for lunch so…”

“It’s fine.” Mingyu assured the worried boy, standing up and brushing off the dirt and leaves now sticking to his swim trunks. 

Mingyu smiled as he lent a hand to Wonwoo, enveloping a nice thought—a goal he was determined to achieve from this day forward—in the back of his mind. He didn’t know when or how, but he knew that before the end of the summer, he’d make Wonwoo forget all about his first kiss.  

 


	9. You Too

Mingyu’s mind told him all the moves he should’ve been making—the moves he wanted to take, but unfortunately, like the age-old saying— those things were easier said than done. Sometimes he felt like he had the strength to just grab Wonwoo by the shoulders and follow through with the latest goal, but every time he was actually face to face with Wonwoo, it was like he was in front of the entire town, on the basketball court. Everyone waiting for him to throw the ball, to change the fate of the team forever—but unlike then, the adrenaline couldn’t push him over the edge; the wound up stress just wasn’t enough for him to make the shot.

That doesn’t mean he didn’t try. In the course of that coming week, by some miraculous error, the scheduling chart got switched up and he was paired with Wonwoo not once—but twice. It was so calm and simple with him around, always able to assure him that as long as they were paired, the day would be okay. And they were.

On Tuesday, Mingyu came extremely close to knocking down the cart holding way too many cups of paint in the Rec cabin, ready to sign off his life and his job with another morbid strike across his soul—written in none other than red marker. Thankfully, Wonwoo was right behind him, stopping the cart in its tracks and swooping in like the superhero Mingyu wished he didn’t have to rely on so much.

Thursday was just as worrisome, not because of team hikes (though Mingyu had developed a serious fear of the deep forest from then on), but at lunch when two of the older campers started purposely spilling pudding on each other’s shirts. They hurled insults left and right, and Mingyu felt the pressure rising up like he were flying towards the atmosphere at the highest speeds, straight about to burst. Wonwoo nudged him and whispered for him to intervene in the easiest way possible for an amateur who struggled like him, taking the pudding and pouring it on himself.

It was the stupidest idea ever—clearly embarrassing—but the idiotic thing Wonwoo suggested was sure enough to divert the campers attention away from each other. Everyone was nearly dying of laughter when they saw poor Mingyu with a huge pudding stain all over his red counselor t-shirt. However, it was way better than being punished for not stopping the fight before it escalated into a hellish mess of hair pulling and arm scratching. It wasn’t all bad. It did make Wonwoo crack a large smile too, and Mingyu would do anything to see that smile again and again, even if it meant pouring pudding, applesauce, buckets of lake water all over himself. 

Wonwoo—busy trying to navigate his own pileup of thoughts like a late afternoon traffic jam—was more focused on what was going on his mind to notice the smaller nuances in Mingyu’s behavior—his teensy attempts to get his attention for a different reason.

Mingyu brushed his fingers whenever possible, careful not to let Wonwoo know his hands were quivering so hard one might’ve thought him sick, but Wonwoo just blinked it away. He stayed up past midnight with him every night that week, helping him organize books by genre, then by color, then by height, and every assortment imaginable. Both of their faces flushed when Chan said ‘together they could be one of those really creepy “neat freak” couples they always showed on TV’ with the rigor they put into sorting a bunch of books.

Playing card games late at night, insisting he didn’t want his own desserts during dinnertime, bidding to Wonwoo’s every whim—big or small— still wasn’t enough to make him notice. Mingyu just wished he had one small looking glass into his head: a tiny, gold rimmed glass lens, good for one use, to tell him what was going on inside of Wonwoo’s head. If he saw what he was looking for, there would be no use in hesitating or waiting. 

Mingyu was sure as hell if he had the one golden ticket—one hint, he could successfully ride the train into Wonwoo’s biggest desires, whatever they may have been. If not what he hoped, at least he could have some clarity.

Wonwoo, still oblivious, just figured Mingyu’s new batch of sweet gestures had nothing to do with a mutual crush, but Mingyu back to being old Mingyu. He was happy enough—he guessed, that Mingyu was at least back to normal.

But he wasn’t. His ankle may have healed just fine, but on the inside, every single jar of emotions, stacked neatly shelf by shelf, so well organized like Mingyu loved, had fallen as if an earthquake had hit. Inside and unbeknownst to Wonwoo, Mingyu’s emotions were spilling and overlapping each other without resolve.

 

* * *

 

While Wonwoo was now the one looking straight past what was in front of him, someone else had definitely taken notice of the shift in cabin seven.

“Joohyun asked me to make sure Minkyun was doing okay since he was on the phone with his dad earlier…ah, so cute. Meet you in the Mess Hall?” Wonwoo said as he rolled off of Mingyu’s bunk, while Mingyu was throwing something into his storage bin.

“Same table, same time as always.” Mingyu murmured in agreement. 

“Cool.” Wonwoo retreated the cabin at once, leaving Mingyu alone to finish organizing his belongings.

Mingyu shifted uncomfortably as he finished folding up a pair of pants and placing it the bin, feeling a gaze lying heavily on him. Completing the task, he stood, ready to exit the cabin immediately, but the tug of a strong grip on his shirt pulled him back quickly.

“Where do you think you’re going, Kim Mingyu?” Jihoon said in a strong, invasive tone.

Mingyu turned around to meet face to face with Jihoon, sporting his usual eerie grin that always preceded whatever petty or sick thing he was about to say.

“To dinner, same as you.”

“Not so fast.” Jihoon stood in front of the cabin door, clicking it shut.

Mingyu groaned, not in the mood for whatever game Jihoon was trying to playing today. He fought Jihoon for the handle of the door, four hands scrambling wildly as they each tried to pry each other’s fingers off, but in the end, Jihoon successfully slapped his hand away, shooting him a deadly look that said _‘try again and I’ll slice your fingers right off of your hand one by one.’_

“What do you want, Jihoon? Seriously, I just want to go eat dinner; I’m starving.”

“Don’t talk to me like that. It’s in your best interest to listen to what I’m about to say.”

“Yeah right.”

“Oh really? It’s not at all important to you that I’ve noticed something pertaining to you?”

Mingyu closed his eyes in frustration and nodded. “Fine. Hurry up.” He waited for Jihoon to insult him or yell at him for leaving something in the wrong spot, ready to get the scolding over with.

Instead, Jihoon asked, “You don’t think I notice what’s happening here?”

For a moment, the only thing Mingyu could hear was blank space, the crickets outside getting ready for a night of irritating chirping and distracting those trying to sleep as he tried to figure out what Jihoon meant. Jihoon’s eyes never left his, heavily staring into them as if he were trying to glue him in that single spot—and he succeeded. 

Hesitantly, Mingyu responded, “Notice…what…exactly….”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you idiot.” Jihoon nodded off. “Maybe he’s to blind to notice, and maybe everyone else is now, but I’m not.” He added, emphasizing the last word thickly. 

“What is there to play dumb about, Jihoon! Just stop with this secret codey shit you always do so we can go eat dinner!” Mingyu grumbled in irritation, holding a hand to his forehead.

“You want me to spell it out for you? Fine. I know how you feel about Mr. All-I-do-is-read-and-mope over there.”

It took a moment to register in Mingyu’s brain, like an old cash register stuck on the same green price, but when it did, Mingyu felt like he could run out and drown himself in the lake right then and there. Of all people, it _had_ to be Jihoon. _This is probably how Hyejeong feels all the fucking time_ , Mingyu thought as anxiousness prickled his arms and the back of his neck in the form of goosebumps, and a slight nausea hit him in the stomach. Moreover, his ears tinged with spots of warmth in the worst way, feeling embarrassed that Jihoon could see what Wonwoo couldn’t.

Beginning to chuckle, Jihoon only replied, “Relax. God, you look like you’re about to pop a vein.”

Still, Mingyu did not know how to respond. Jihoon’s number one talent was exploiting people’s misery—right after composing and singing—of course. It only took seconds for Mingyu’s brain to conjure an image of everyone in camp laughing, tormenting him, doing god knows what after finding out practically the only thing he did these days was think of Wonwoo—whether he wanted to or not. 

Stuttering as he tried to combat whatever Jihoon might say next, ready to plead for his secret to be kept, Jihoon interrupted him. 

“I said relax. If you think I care enough to go leak this ridiculous information around camp, you’ve got the wrong counselor.” As if he had read Mingyu's mind.

“If you’re not going to….why would you….” Mingyu said, trying to catch up with his weak breath, feeling worse than the time Seungcheol dared him to beat his mile-run record of 7 minutes.  The last thing he needed was more secrets piled on top of last week’s silver platter of first kisses and quiet crushes. 

“Honestly, I don’t know why.” Jihoon lied, sitting down on his bunk comfortably. “It’s just sad seeing you getting all doe-eyed over him every day while he doesn’t even notice.” Not failing to throw in a poorly veiled insult as usual, Jihoon added, “And by sad, I mean pathetic.”

Growing aggravated—as it always seemed to end in any conversation with Jihoon—Mingyu replied, “Gee thanks. Like I asked to fall in lo-get a crush…on my own friend. Even worse, the person who sleeps above me every night.”

Suddenly, his minds wandered silently to those nights. Some nights, Mingyu lied awake, thinking of what Wonwoo might’ve been thinking up there too. Maybe he was awake, still fidgeting with that purple little flashlight he liked to use to read without keeping anyone up. Maybe he was deep in sleep, dreaming of something wonderful—if he was lucky, dreaming of an existence with Mingyu that crossed beyond friendship, then Mingyu always remembered that he needed to stop worrying—thinking so hard—about Wonwoo’s dreams.

Just because Wonwoo was in his, didn’t mean he was in Wonwoo’s.

Clearing his throat, trying to peel back some of the awkwardness and rough tension that settled in the cracks of the floorboards and corners of the walls, Mingyu asked again, “Anyways…why do you care? Do you like him too?”

Shooting Mingyu a look of almost pure disgust, Jihoon rolled his eyes, replying, “Of course not. I’m not swayed by dark-haired bookworms with tough exteriors yet softie hearts.”

 _Go figure,_ Mingyu thought with a dry laugh. Jihoon probably worshipped some dark person who had a mind just as twisted and fit for laughing at the misery of others. Wonwoo wasn’t any kind of sweet-as-candy kind of guy, but he was far from a plain jerk like _someone_ in the room.

“I’m telling you this before everyone else starts to notice. And the way you’re going with those dreamboat eyes and failed attempts at subtlety, it won’t be long.” 

“…You think I’m that obvious?” Mingyu asked, trying to sound offended, although it sounded more like the voice of a worried child who had lost their mother in a huge department store.

“I don’t think,” Jihoon corrected. “I know. I know that if you don’t chill with whatever ‘this’ is,” placing air quotes around this, “your little fish-tailed, big-mouthed friend is going to spread this news around camp faster than the news about you pushing Siyeon onto the ground.”

Mingyu cringed at the thought of seven-year-old Siyeon whining. Jihoon was right— of course he was right. If word got out, no doubt Yerim would be the first one blabbing on and on about Mingyu and the crush he was beginning to feel pitiful about. 

“I think we both know you’d rather…confess something like that to your dear Wonwoo yourself, no?” Jihoon questioned, half-compasionately, but still as sharply as ever, almost as if he were showing _actual_ concern for Mingyu.

“Yeah. If I ever get to that point.” He shrugged miserably.

“Oh, don’t be such a pathetic baby. I happen to know you’re not the only one racing for the coveted heart of Jeon Wonwoo.” Jihoon said, striking countless nerves and threads within Mingyu’s already racing heart.

Even with the amount of information Jihoon had relayed to him in such little time, this had to be the one that made Mingyu feel the sickest. A little bit of sweat began to coat his forehead, throat fiery and dry, as the list of predicaments only grew larger. 

As if it wasn’t hard enough trying to get Wonwoo to pay attention to him in that manner already, now he had to deal with someone else probably preying around for Wonwoo too? Mingyu’s head spun in circles, dizzy like someone who had regretfully rode the tilt-a-whirl an idiotic three times in a row, just about ready to throw up.

Making sure the last point wasn’t something he’d heard wrong, Mingyu dared to ask again, “Wait…it’s not you right...?” 

“No, you idiot!” Jihoon yelled loud enough that counselors in the cabins next door would probably be able to hear had they not left for dinner already. He slapped his shoulder harshly, gripping his shirt so hard he could feel the marks of his nails imprinting themselves upon him.

Sometimes Mingyu found it hard to take Jihoon seriously given it was like talking to a 6th grader (and the fact that his hair still looked like a freshly plucked lavender out of a garden), but Jihoon would remind him soon enough that he was a thousand times more frank, rough, and ruthless than he was, regardless of size.

“I already told you I have no interest in Wonwoo. Not today, tomorrow, _never_.” 

“Alright! Alright!” Mingyu squeaked, try to force his severe grip off of his arm. “Who then…?”

“That’s for you to find out yourself.” Jihoon laughed, finally releasing his iron hold and backing away as if he hadn’t just baited Mingyu like he was some cat with a plastic fish toy.

With that kind of vague guidance, Mingyu realized it literally could have been anyone. Wonwoo was good-looking, and it wasn’t something lost upon the other counselors. If people were always flirting with him, looking at him—wanting him without Mingyu even noticing, then there was no way Wonwoo was left overlooked. 

“Come on, Jihoon!” Mingyu said, voice rising in intensity. Feeling the urge to grip him by the collar, he allowed himself to steady before continuing. “You can’t just fucking air that out and not tell me! I know you’re a cruel ass but this is something else.”

“I would tell you…I would.” Jihoon said, slowly with every word, waving a finger in the air, “but if I told you, I’d be unveiling myself.” Impishly, Jihoon then winked.

“What the fuck do you mean ‘unveiling yourself.’” Mingyu asked in high annoyance, mimicking Jihoon’s tone this time around.

“Let me just say one thing. If you achieve whatever it is you’re trying to achieve with Wonwoo, I’ll have one less person in my way to worry about. Got that?”

Jihoon didn’t bother waiting for a response, exiting the cabin and rushing over to the lunch hall, leaving Mingyu with his thoughts blooming confusion once more.

Exhausted from all the never-ending maze of confusion Camp Joyrenity offered, Mingyu turned around and began to head out of the cabin. No use in trying to pry information out of Jihoon of all people. _So much for joy! So much for serenity!_ Mingyu rolled his eyes, forever hating that stupid explanation when it was anything but. The night sky began to gleam above him, beautiful stars twinkling far, far in the distance. 

In the city, finding bright starts in the sky was about as frequent as Mingyu having free time to breath. Everything piled up: hours homework, basketball, tutoring, extra-curriculars, and babysitting Taehyung on occasion too. Not to mention the team always dragged him to parties, which he thought he loved—but now he was just realizing he loved how fun they were because they required no drive or effort. He didn’t have to worry about his first kiss, or sticky handed campers, or counselors who ranged so broadly in personalities like books in the world's biggest library. All he had to think about was the amount of drinks he could down before ending up sickly drunk, and who was driving who home.

Those girls who always tried to flirt came to _him_ , not the other way around. They would try to interest him with small talk of basketball (which they never got right), or went straight to being grabby and seeking hugs. Even then, it never escalated to the point where one successfully stole a kiss from him. 

Up until then, there was no one he wanted to kiss this badly— so much that it fried the circuits in his brain. The work was always laid out like maps on a long car trip, ready for Mingyu if he ever decided he did want to kiss one of those girls in the closet of some random’s house, but he never did. How would he make a plan when he never had to before, _and_ do it before the person Jihoon purposely avoided naming? 

It dawned upon him that all Camp Joyrenity managed to do so far was change who he thought he was, or maybe he was just discovering that wasn’t Kim Mingyu in the first place—the stars twinkling in soft response. Mind clouded with desire, Mingyu looked up at the deep, navy sea above him. He wished and waited for a shooting star that would never come.

 

 


	10. Filial Duties

With the new chip that Jihoon had managed to drill into the back of Mingyu’s head, he was on high alert of everyone who came in contact with Wonwoo. It felt odd—almost as if he were going through some obsessive boyfriend stage. However, he couldn’t help it when he saw Jun, or Jiyeon, or Soonyoung—quite possibly the worst of all—around Wonwoo.

The constant stream of paranoia was far too much, for even the littlest pat on the arm from Minghao would send Mingyu into a fit of jealous, crazed thoughts. Okay, so the mushy, butterfly feelings weren’t that bad, he figured. But the bitter ones had to be the bad part of the packaged deal—the rough underside of the shiny coin. 

To make matters worse, last week’s scheduling mix up only led to the inevitable—two days working with Yerim. One day parading around with her was bad enough, but now he had double the fun to deal with.

The final blow to the series of unfortunate events that week was the notion that Soonyoung was the number one suspect. Ever since the day at the lake, Mingyu could not forget the look of pure warmth and adoration Soonyoung displayed while simply looking at Wonwoo play around in the water. The reminder alone of such event left a sour taste in his mouth, and he couldn’t imagine what he would feel if he had to witness it all over again. 

Sorting through a large box of stamps, today’s wonderful recreation activity was teaching the kiddies how to write letters. Mingyu commented on how stupid it was to teach them something that everyone already knew how to do, but was kindly informed by Head Counselor Sungyeon that because of the ‘destructive forces of technology,’ the only kind of letter children knew how to send nowadays came in the form of typed words sent from a silly email address. Supposedly, most kids were not as familiar with simple email functions as they were with sending text messages.

On each table of the Rec Cabin, white plastic bins were filled with postcards of all sorts, some displaying pictures of the camp itself—beautiful images of the lake, or scenery of clouds floating in the pristine sky, leaving shapes of bunnies or bowling pins or bicycles in the sky. Sungyeon mentioned that the older kids last year were given a project to take pictures of things in nature, and they were all printed on postcards for the next summer. Mingyu was surprised at how many nice photos a batch of eleven and twelve year olds could produce. 

For now, the children passively tried to practice their messages on scrap paper, neatly and thoughtfully so that they wouldn’t end up messing up on a bunch of brand new postcards (like the team the day before had so carelessly done). The group was pretty quiet—hard at work but still chattering on, describing the kinds of things they would be putting in their letters.

“Well,” Donghyuk, one of the older boys, more mischievous than the others on the team, started, “I have to make sure my younger brother hasn’t been playing with any of my action figures while I was gone. I put them in super secret spots.”

“Oh! Oh! Me next!” One of the girls chimed in. “I want to tell my mommy all about the boats on the lake, and I’m even gonna draw a picture too!” She held her scrap paper up, pointing to an 8-year-old’s masterpiece that was a stick figure—complete with brown wavy hair and pink shoes, sitting on a circular object…what Mingyu figured was the canoe. 

“Counselor Yerim!” A younger camper piped up.  Not looking up from his busy work on the scraps, he asked, “Do you write things for your mommy and daddy too?”

“Of course not, dumbo…” The previous camper interrupted. “Counselors don’t even have mommies and daddies! They’re big kids.”

Stifling his laughter, Mingyu said, “Oh really? You guys don’t think we don’t have mommies and daddies too? Why do you think that?”

She shrugged, replying, “I’ve never seen any of your mommies or daddies. Like on the first day, when our parents say bye to us, you guys never have anybody!”

“Yeah!” A bunch of campers began to agree in a chorus. “And you guys never talk about getting special phone calls from your mommies and daddies or care packages with pajamas! So that means you guys _must_ not have any!”

It must’ve seemed realistic, and the only possible explanation to the campers who nodded their heads up and down. Watching as they began to argue about where the counselors came from if they didn’t have parents, Mingyu yearned to be at the age where only ridiculous things like that mattered, instead of the stream of problems that had developed within him lately. _Chocolate or vanilla, shoelaces or Velcro straps, strawberry jam or grape jelly_ —things he wished were all he had to worry about.

Sighing, Yerim sarcastically began to speak. “You know, you guys are right. We just… _teleport_ here right before the opening day of camp. It’s not like we have mommies and daddies who drive us here, or say bye to us before we leave home.”

Believing the spiel, they gasped in shock. Some of them looked horrified at the thought of not having a parent to hug and kiss goodbye, someone to pack their belongings and assure them that no distance would stop them from loving their little babies, no matter how old they were.

However, the other half seemed to cringe, probably wishing they didn’t have to deal with mushy, melodramatic departures from clingy, hover parents.

“It’s not like they ever call us to ask if we’re eating well…or make sure we’re washing our whites together, and colors separately. You guys are really right. Counselors _can’t_ have parents; they’re just _too_ old for that!”

She rolled her eyes, turning her attention to sorting a box of envelops into piles by color, but smiling at their silly words. Even little monsters had to have some sense of humor every once in a while. 

“….Wait. If you guys don’t have mommies and daddies, who makes your lunch for you when you go to school?” One questioned in confusion—as if that was more confusing than not knowing the origins of their births, if not from another set of people. 

“When you get older, your parents want you to do those things for yourselves. But if you must know-“ She paused for dramatic effect, leaving the campers on the edge of their seats as if they were listening in for a secret the teacher was telling the principal about the kid who just got in trouble. “My mother does make my lunch for me sometimes…not usually. But sometimes.”

“Well…mine still makes mine for me everyday.” Mingyu added.

“No one is surprised. I suppose you’re too lazy to learn to do it yourself,” Yerim laughed to herself.

Before Mingyu could retaliate, Donghyuk had already beat him to the chase. “So…you guys do have mommies and daddies?”

“Of course we do, buddy. Even if you don’t see them, we’ve all got to come from somewhere. That’s just how the world works.” Yerim replied thoughtfully and calmly, peeling a stamp off of the sheet, placing it on a bright purple envelope.

Mingyu silently argued back—although it was not like anyone could hear—that not everybody had a mommy and a daddy. Some have two moms…two dads…some kids have a mom, a dad, and another mom after daddy and mom break up. And some kids—like himself—only had a mother. The thought was miserable, so he pushed it away into the darkest corridor of his mind again, not wanting to think of his missing father. His family was complete with just his mother, his little brother, and himself, no matter what anybody said. Every kind of family was normal, as long as they loved each other…right?

He wanted to add that in—for clarification upon the naïve campers, but by the time he was ready to say it aloud, they were already onto which crayon colors they called for their drawings.

“I’m not a very good drawer, so I think I’ll just write lots of words for my family.” Yerim stated. 

For a moment, he pitied the family that had to deal with her, but reserved it. It was a little too rude to think something like that, even if Yerim was growing to be more annoying than the gnats that trailed during morning hikes. 

“What about you, Counselor Mingyu?” Donhyuk questioned, filling something in with a red crayon.

For a moment, Mingyu considered what he would say to his mom. They had talked over the phone a few times since camp started—rarely though, due half to the fact that the main cabin only had one line that was constantly busy, calls flooding from parents worried about their young campers sleeping and allergies and if they ate enough vegetables every day. The other half was kind of because he didn’t want to imagine his mother on the other line, quaking with worry, her tired eyes and exhausted posture standing next to the only phone they had in the house—the kind that connected to the wall, so she couldn’t sit or move around. 

Obviously, the Main Cabin had told her Mingyu had an accident of some sort, and he did everything to assure her it was far from anything huge, no matter how painful it was at the time. Taehyung was enough of an obstacle, how could he keep his mother up at night thinking about his dumb ankle injury—a product of his own mistake?

The seeds of worry that already sprouted in her stomach long ago did not need to be watered, Mingyu thought, promising her that it was a scratch, not even big enough for him to notice.

“I might draw her a little picture. I’m not such a bad artist myself,” he supplied, but carefully, so not as to sound like he was bragging.

“Yeah right.” Yerim murmured.

Quickly doodling a little face on the corner of a blank sheet, he passed it over to Donhyuk, who responded with an amiable look of awe. 

“Wow, Counselor Mingyu! Your drawing is really cool! It looks just like something you could find a comic.”

The rest of the children tried to get a peak at the paper and the small drawing scribbled in black pen, eliciting similar responses.

With a smile creeping across his face, Mingyu realized he had finally done something right. A little knock on one of the doors in the corridors of his brain reminded him that Wonwoo always told him that everything would be okay if he just let it, and for once in a blue moon, the children actually seemed pleasantly surprised—even impressed—at something as little as a drawing on the corner of a paper.

“Oh please! Anyone can draw like that. I’ve seen campers who can draw better than Mingyu.” Yerim stuck her tongue out as childishly as a sixth grader who lost the game of foursquare, bitter and upset, stomping off of the playground and proclaiming the winner.

 _She’s just jealous_ ; He resolved.

Eventually, Yerim and Mingyu got to helping out the campers actually write out the postcards, correcting spelling mistakes and showing them where the return address went, although sometimes they purposely let them mess up. It did look pretty suspicious when a 9-year-old could successfully spell every word right on a postcard. Misspelled words gave them a hint of authenticity, Mingyu assumed, just like when they spelled Counselor wrong on his get-well card.

Today’s pathway seemed like it could end perfectly: no accidents on the road, no slipups on the corner, wrong turns, or red lights that were too long. 

The final step to completing the nicely done postcards was sticking them in envelopes of the children’s choice, varying in colors all across a rainbow spectrum, which caused them to change their mind some six times each before they actually settled with one. After the campers wrote their names and addresses, the two Counselors added stamps.

“Counselor Mingyu?” The youngest baby in the batch called, a sweet little girl quite similar to Minkyun.

“Yes?” He replied in a soft, sugary voice, trying his best to seem invested and caring.

“Do counselors have to go to school too? At my school we go to fun classes like art and music, kinda like the Rec and Music cabins.”

Puzzled at her ability to make that connection, he responded, “That’s right. Just like cabins we have here. And of course we go to school. How else would we get so smart?”

“Implying there’s anything in that brain of yours other than patches of white space and acorns.” Yerim chuckled, gathering a bunch of finished envelops to place in the “to mail” box. "I'm surprised you even know how to tie your shoelaces."

She shot him an off-putting grin, sticking her tongue out at him yet again to the extent that her pigtails were flying forward with every gross laugh she took.

Yerim’s obnoxious comment pinned him even worse than usually, maybe since the week of break accidentally made him forget the feeling. It fuled a rage so deep inside Mingyu that he felt like he could cough up fire if he opened mouth in the slightest. His knees shook under the tables that were way too small for him to fit his legs under—but he tried his best anyways. So close to ripping each piece of hair out of his scalp piece by piece, he opened his mouth, ready to curse out Yerim until his mouth couldn’t keep up anymore. The words were right there on the edge of his tongue, like a climber about to descend down a cliff, and never to return back up. Those words that he wanted to say, he knew he wouldn't be able to take back

By the grace of the heavens—Mingyu—still breathing so deeply as if he’d just climbed a mountain and needed to adjust for oxgyen, peered outside of the window, catching a familiar couple of heads outside of the door.

Activity 2 block must have been over already.

One was a deep black head of hair, a little wavy, and the person it belonged to smiling kindly at the blonde across from him, that head wearing the typical sweatband of course. 

Soonyoung’s eyes almost glistened with such a blinding light that not even the screens of the cabin windows could dim them. His sugary smile, one that even Mingyu had become a little enthralled with (it was impossible not to, he learned), grew to the max, if that was even possible. Then, his gummy cheeks blurred into a hue of pink as he awkwardly scatched the back of his neck.

Whatever rude words Mingyu was dying to pour out magically folded themselves back up, like a paper machete swan being crumpled and throw into the trash. Mingyu knew that if those words left his mouth, the red strike of death would slash him with a quickness that not even the fastest member of the basketball team could match.

Yerim—still dying at her ridiculous comment—paused to see at what Mingyu was looking at, causing him to immediately look away.

Kwon Soonyoung: member of Team C, resident of Cabin Nine, a synthetic blonde, total candy heart—too sweet for words—climbed to the top of Mingyu’s suspect list within an instant. A thousand other strings of possibilities interconnected, like glowing webs of a motherboard, but all Mingyu could truly focus on was how if he earned that last strike, he would undoubtedly be handing Jeon Wonwoo over to whoever it was Jihoon alluded, complete with a finely wrapped ribbon and a 'congratulations!' card. 

 

* * *

 

Later on in the day, after the campers had retreated to the security of their little wooden cabins, Mingyu and the rest of the counselors did the same. Mingyu tried his hardest not to think of Soonyoung being the person Jihoon implied, but now that he had that name, it was incurably glued in the back of his mind. He made a mental note to ask Jihoon about it as soon as possible; curious as to he would react.

In cabin seven, everyone had already showered, and was busy doing any old thing until they finally wore themselves out. Chan, Hansol, and Jisoo were playing some shabby board game that they never seemed to tire of, yelling in frustration—or victory—depending on their placement in the game.

Jihoon—as always—was nestled in bed, drifting into a world completely separate from the others that his playlist lead him into.

Mingyu waited patiently for Wonwoo to return from his shower, slightly bored and in need of someone to talk to. The nervousness and unsettling emotions stirred by his crush weren’t enough to stop him from wanting to just be friends with Wonwoo, first and foremost. In reality, the sense that competition was growing only made him want to keep Wonwoo in his sight at all times. Mentally groaning at his rising obsession—for lack of a gentler term—he opened up his plastic bin to grab a few colored pencils and a book to write on.

He managed to snag a few envelopes from the Rec Cabin himself, deciding to write letters to not only his mother and Taehyung, but also one of more importance at the moment—to Seungcheol.

Mingyu knew Seungcheol would never admit the covert relationship he had with Jeonghan with words, but to him and the other members of the team, it was somewhat obvious. A person can only hide so many lingering hugs and have so many rickety excuses before others catch the jist of what was going on.

Jeonghan wasn’t the first person Seungcheol had dated, maybe the last by the looks of it, but Mingyu figured perhaps he could offer some advice on the whole situation. He was golden for that sort of thing—the older brother Mingyu never had resided in Seungcheol, and he was more than grateful for that, even if it was embarrassing sometimes.

However, Mingyu lied back on his stack of pillows, making himself comfortable, to write the letter to his mother before Seungcheol’s.

He worked diligently, trying to drown out the sounds of Chan screaming for the sixth time in the last three minutes about Hansol cheating. Most of the things explicated in the letter were just wishing his mother was resting well, and hoping that she was receiving his paychecks nicely.

He laughed when he wrote about no longer hating Camp Joyrenity like he did when he first got here (not sure if he still did or not), and how upset he was—ready to slam the door of his bedroom so hard the hinges would’ve flown straight off when his mother told him he got the job.

Granted—he applied just to make her happy—he believed he would’ve never qualified anyways.

On cue with Wonwoo’s entrance into the cabin, his smile further grew. Joyrenity sucked most of the time, but not because of the bugs or hikes anymore. It was because the thing that made him happiest there felt so out of reach.

Wonwoo’s hair was still wet, dripping a little from his shower. He smiled back casually when he noticed Mingyu looking at him, but Mingyu had to turn away quickly to avoid Wonwoo noticing the sting of embarrassment that would hit in seconds. 

For some reason, Wonwoo had chosen not put his shirt on in the bathroom cabin, removing the mint towel from his neck to unveil the rest of his uncovered top half.

Mingyu tried to look away, he really did, but obviously his mind was not in the condition to be fighting itself. Peaking from the corner of his eyes, he let himself get a teensy look (more like one that lingered for a good minute, but who was counting), in half embarrassment and half awe of Wonwoo’s nice form. His abs were light sketched— barely there—but it wasn’t like Mingyu cared. He had just never seen him without any clothing missing, and he had to pull the reigns of his mind back before he ventured into a thought of wishing he’d seen him with even less.

Now he knew why Seungcheol always made sure to change on the same side of the locker room of Jeonghan.

Mingyu’s uneasy trance was cut short by none other than Jihoon, who spectated the entire situation with an amused face, laughing like a sneaky child who had just watched their sibling get in trouble for something they actully did. His grin was stretched wide, eyebrows raised, and suddenly Mingyu felt like burying himself under his cover and just disappearing into thin air.

“What’s so funny?” Wonwoo asked, finally pulling a shirt down over his head.

Mingyu could physically feel a weight fall off of his shoulders and breathing steady out.

Because Mingyu was in the bottom bunk, the shade of the one above it provided a kind of solace—a cover that could keep him hidden in his own little sanctuary. Obviously that was not the case at the moment.

“Oh, nothing,” Jihoon smiled, shooting Mingyu an entertained look before turning his attention back to his own wall. 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes at Jihoon’s mysterious actions before sitting down on Mingyu’s bunk, right at the foot of the bed. “What are you up to? Want to play cards tonight? Or maybe I could read you a chapter of this parenting guide.” He joked playfully, sporting his prized smile, “You know, so you can get better with the kids some more.

By the way, how’d your day go…you know, since you had Yerim duty?” 

Sighing, Mingyu replied, “It went the same way it always does. Irritatingly slow, but everything can always be a little worse, right? The kids are a nice medium of distraction.”

“Right. So, a card game?” 

“Yeah, hold on. I guess we can play cards or a something after I’m done with this.”

Wonwoo looked over, watching Mingyu busily write neat words on the sheet of paper in his lap. “Ah. A little note home. I see the effects of 'Parent Postcard Week' got to you.”

“Yeah. I just want my mom to know everything’s alright on my end. Well, sort of.” He commented, reflecting on the mistakes of the previous weeks. He didn’t mention the letter he was currently working on for Seungcheol in need of brotherly advice.

“That’s nice. Did you write one for your little brother too?” Wonwoo questioned.

“Hmh.” Mingyu nodded. 

“I wish I had siblings too. It’s so boring at my house…empty and stuff…” Wonwoo spoke, but something about his tone seemed to drop severly.

Under the realization that Mingyu really didn’t know anything about Wonwoo’s family, he shifted on the bed, then asked curiously, “Have you written letters to your parents too?”

Something like a piece of glass inside of Wonwoo began to chip up—crackle into tiny, jagged pieces, slowly—with the mention of his parents. Unsure of whether he wanted to venture into this territory—vast and hard to explain—he simply replied. “I write them sometimes.”

“I bet.” Mingyu laughed. “I bet you’re always telling them about the stuff that goes on here; you seem to treasure them a lot.” Treasure was an understatement. With the amount of times Wonwoo mentioned one or the other in a week, Mingyu knew they must have been the most important people in his world, and if he wanted to get closer to the real Wonwoo, it wouldn’t hurt to know about the people who gave life to such a charmer.

He even mentally poked himself at the thought of meeting his little in-laws. Mingyu was way too much of a coward to be thinking so far ahead.

“Yeah.” Wonwoo said blankly. He smiled awkwardly, the corners of his mouth only raising slightly. “I do.” His voice had dropped to a kind of whisper.

“I wonder how long it takes to get a reply. Does your dad ever send you new quotes?” Mingyu questioned lightly.

In this, Wonwoo’s eyes filled with a glassy look, but he muttered, “Hm, not as much as I wish he did. Most of the time, it’s just the usual stuff…asking if I’m eating well…wearing sunscreen. Parenty stuff.”

“Yeah, I get you.” Mingyu nodded, not sensing the unusual shift in Wonwoo’s mood.

As he began to write a few more things down for Seungcheol, asking about his family and the others on the card, he heard Wonwoo clear his throat.

“I’m uh…I’m gonna go for a walk.”

“Now?” Mingyu asked, perplexed. It was nearly 11pm and the mosquitos had to be on a quest for late night snacks.

“Yeah. It’s okay, it’s just a camp. No one’s gonna kill me out there.” Both of them shuddered at a simultaneous thought of a poorly written horror movie where the characters die from being stupid enough to venture into the woods alone at night. “Plus, I have to ask Soonyoung something before lights out.”

Eyes widening at the sole sound of his name, all Mingyu could do without sounding suspicious or annoyed has mutter an “okay.” 

Sitting up from the bed, Wonwoo slipped on his shoes and just left—the thought of card games or sorting books or just talking clearly flowing straight out of his mind. Mingyu thought he might need a few more pieces of paper to fill Seungcheol in on this than he initially thought.

Not too much later, Jihoon, probably having eavesdropped on the whole thing—with Mingyu’s eyes opening to the prospect that those headphones probably never actually had anything playing—came to sit in the same spot Wonwoo had.

“What the fuck did you say to him?” He asked in a harsh whisper. Somehow the issue had piggy-backed its way into becoming Jihoon's too.

“Nothing!” Mingyu shied away, trying to focus on his cards like a child in pre-school hard at work on a drawing for his refrigerator. “He just told me he needed some fresh air…and to talk to someone.

“Who.” Jihoon demanded the response, rather than asking. His face was knit with anger, probably already knowing the answer.

“Soonyoung.” Mingyu supplied. He waited for the subtle glint of reaction—the small nuance that would lead him to confirm that the person he meant all along was the fluffy human teddy bear.

But that would also mean that…Jihoon…was interested in Soonyoung? It seemed even stranger than the idea of counselors flirting with him, gossiping about him and all his supposed activities at home. Jihoon was like…those dark storm clouds that came just when everyone in the family finally made it to the beach after a three-hour drive. And Soonyoung was... well…Soonyoung was the sun that was out before the clouds so rudely interrupted.

Speaking of interruption, Jihoon clearly maintained a poker face at the mention of the name, but Mingyu could tell it wasn’t natural; he was definitely trying not to look affected or bothered.

“Hey.” Mingyu started up, still thinking of Wonwoo and his sudden leaving more than he cared about why Jihoon would bother with a Soonyoung when he—in short—didn’t deserve one, in his opinion. “Does talking about family make Wonwoo uncomfortable?”

Done with the conversation, as he had all the info he needed, Jihoon stood up and started to walk away. “It doesn't seems like it has lately, but I don’t fucking know." His tone was rather irritated. “Aren’t you his little boyfriend; shouldn’t you be the one with the answer? Oh, I forgot.”

He corrected himself sarcastically as he saw Mingyu’s face morph into look of offense.

“You haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Perhaps the information has settled him into a bad mood; Mingyu watched as he placed his headpones in and heard the volume turned all the way up within seconds.

Jihoon settled a pillow over of his head and tried to forget Mingyu existed.

 

* * *

  
When Wonwoo returned, closer to 12am, he said nothing. He did nothing.

Mingyu tried to ask if everything was okay, for reassurance that at least _someone_ was, but Wonwoo climbed up onto his bed without a word.

“Lights out!” Jisoo called, flicking the switch shut from the spot next to the door, then they could all hear him walking across the wooden floor in darkness, and climbing up to his bunk.

As they dozed off into sleep—or states of unrest, rather, Mingyu realized that instead of being one step closer to Wonwoo, he had just taken a left turn into the wrong street. 


	11. The Buddy System

    Staring at the large calendar hanging on the easel, Mingyu slowly came to the realization that five weeks at Joyrenity had already came and went. Lots of days had been crossed out with x’s, with only so many remaining before them. The coming Saturday had a huge, hot pink circle around it, as to draw enough attention to it for Mingyu to wonder what it could be about.

The entire gang of non-head counselors sat in the Mess Hall, most uninterested in Joohyun’s upcoming babble of information. It was Sunday night; the clouds threatening some chances of rain—though everyone hoped they would trickle away before they had to make their way back to their cabins.

Apparently, whatever announcement Joohyun was ready to make called for a serious group meeting, interrupting a calm day of rest with a meeting in the Hall.

Mingyu sat at the usual table, but for some reason, it wasn’t as comforting as usual. He felt a slight hand of suffocation surrounding him with Jihoon’s uneasy glances hitting him every few minutes, while Wonwoo’s polarizing sweeter, softer glances came in the next.

Mingyu guessed the ordeal about Wonwoo running off so late at night to talk to Soonyoung wasn’t important enough for him to dwell on—or maybe it was too important, but he didn’t want to force it out of Wonwoo when something about that conversation clearly made him uncomfortable. Trying not to be bothered as he waited for Joohyun to speak, Mingyu reminded himself that only five weeks remained, and if he was going to be so dead set on Wonwoo, just looking at him—admiring him from not so afar— wasn’t going to accomplish anything.

Well, that and—and Soonyoung’s occasional friendly glance in their general direction, since Mingyu assumed the winks he shot every once and a while were not directed towards him or Jihoon—much to both of their displeasures. 

Interjecting the wave of glances being passed around, Joohyun excitedly spoke, “Well, as most of the older counselors know, the halfway mark, one of the most poignant marks, in the summer timeline is finally here!”

Some counselors sighed in sadness, while others mumbled a ‘thank god,’ or more specifically, ‘only 5 more weeks without wifi.’ 

“Anyways…As you may or may not know, in the dead middle of the summer, we love to reward our campers for behaving so well by putting on the Midsummer Night's Festival.”

Those already existing counselors waved the thought away, while Mingyu’s ears perked up, though only with a smidge of interest.

“Like you don’t already reward them for every little thing anyways,” Jihoon whispered.

“Obviously, since it’s week five, the Midsummer Night's Festival will be held this Saturday. So, we’re all here to plan and prepare, as this will be a busy week for all of us!” Joohyun pointed out, tapping the pink circle on the board.

“We will have meetings every night until Saturday.”

The entire hall groaned in unison, the torment of having one weekly-required meeting already hanging over them.

“Hush, hush. They won’t be long if you cooperate. We need to make sure all counselors are pulling their weight for the festival this year, and we can only do so by holding nightly meetings.”

Mingyu felt a slight nudge in his gut, partnered with a whisper. “Guess we won’t have time to play cards that much this week,” Wonwoo joked.

“On par with our tradition, we’re going by the buddy system—partnering up with someone on your team is not required—choose one activity to monitor for the festival with your buddy. The sign-up list for activities is in the Main Cabin, so come by as soon as you've figured out who you're partnering with.”

Mingyu’s mind immediately raced to Wonwoo, already promising himself—or at least hoping—that Wonwoo and him would partner up. _I mean, who else is there for him to partner with? Who would he choose over me?_ He wondered. 

“No duplicate partners! Make sure the person you partner with actually wants to be partnered with you. We will not have another Seungkwan-Seokmin-Jisoo incident this year.” She muttered, calling laughter from those who appeared to remember it.

“There is a lot to do on top of regular daily scheduling, so please don’t make our jobs harder than they have to be. Just pair with whoever, and if you can't find a job, we’ll be sure to find one for you. All partners must be signed in by Wednesday,” Joohyun pointed out, waving her pink marker in the air. 

“Are we done here?” Jihoon groaned from his spot, nearly identical to an uncomfortable tot being forced to sit still at the dinner table, waiting to be excused.

A plethora of other counselors whined in agreement, nodding, probably desperate to go back to lying around. 

Pausing, leaving the counselors on the edges of the tables, Joohyun then said, “Yeah. Get out of here and enjoy your last night of peace while you still can.”

As if Joohyun had accidentally cursed the entire bunch with solely her words, the double doors of the Mess Hall had been flung open by some impatient hands at the exact same moment that lightning sliced through the dark sky with a strong hand. Not much later, rumbles of thunder sounded.

Most counselors took that as a sign to run, already speeding to their cabins as fast as their legs could allow them, but the rain was slicker and faster. Fat droplets came pelting down, beating them in this race, and soaking those trying to run within a second.

“Fuck. So close,” Jihoon mumbled, snapping his fingers in aggressive discontent. 

Looking amongst the mass of remaining heads, Mingyu didn’t find Wonwoo until he saw him already running for the housing cabins, letting himself get trenched with rain water as he slopped through the dirt, which had quickly turned into mud.

The rain didn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon, so Mingyu took a deep breath, ready to make a break for it too, but was suddendly grabbed by the collar of his t-shirt.

“You know exactly what you have to do.” Jihoon said.

“Oh, am I just responsible for getting everything done for the both of us now?”

Quite possibly the most awkward Mingyu had ever seen him, Jihoon glanced into the dark rain, trying his best to keep his eyes off of Mingyu’s. “Come on, Mingyu. You honestly think Mr. Candyman is gonna accept a random proposition from me? We’re not even friends…not like you and Wonwoo are.” 

“What are you so worried about anyways…Wonwoo and I always do everything together anyways. He’ll probably ask me before I ask him. It’s not like we’re going to prom or something.”

Stepping forward to close most of the distance between them, Jihoon gripped his collar harder. Mingyu swore if he was any closer the remaining counselors would’ve thought something else was going down there. Trying to separate himself—but failing as usual, Mingyu listened to his words.

“No, this isn’t fucking prom. It’s worse. Think of Soonyoung and Wonwoo in some secluded area of the camp together for the third year in a row.” Holding up three fingers, as if Mingyu were a blind bat looking from miles away, he repeated, “Three. It’s become something like their tradition to partner up, and honestly, I think Wonwoo would consider breaking it if he had a good reason to. So no, it isn’t prom, but around here…well…partnering up for festival day kind of fucking feels like it.”

The hard patter of raindrops hitting the tin signs seemed to press a sort of reality into Mingyu, along with Jihoon’s mysteriously harsh words. “It’s just a festival, Jihoon!” He backed away.

“That’s what you think now. But don’t say I didn’t warn you; come Sunday when Wonwoo and Soonyoung are holding hands on the way to breakfast. Shit happens. Every. Single. Year. Shit happens.”

Pinning every last word into Mingyu, sharply, slapping them onto him like the tape that held up up those pictures next to his bed. Somewhat disturbed by the severity of Jihoon’s tone, Mingyu raised an eyebrow. What kind of thing had to happen before for Jihoon to assume he would lose any chance with Soonyoung in a single night?

“You don’t see it now, but you will. Trust me.” Jihoon muttered, and with that, he pulled the hood of his pale pink hoodie up and bolted straight into the rain.

The lightning struck with vigor, and the rain continued to pour, the earth’s tears releasing themselves—perhaps they were having a hard time keeping theirs in too. 

Mingyu prepared himself to run into the storm, but at least he knew he would probably make it out just fine. The other storm…the one inside of him was definitely not so predictable.

 

* * *

  
There was no way things could presume as normal now that each counselor had double the workload than usual. Upon returning to the cabin, dripping with water, Mingyu dried himself off and changed, silently waiting for Wonwoo to dip his head down from his own bunk and say "Partners?” 

He waited, and waited, and waited, but the only thing that came was Chan complaining about Mingyu putting his overflow of shirts in his drawer, Jisoo trying to play guitar next to Jihoon to purposely annoy the crap out of him, then later, the darkness, and the unavoidable pull of sleep.

When the dawn arose from the dewy sky—outside still damp with the humidity brought on by the storm that lasted all night—Wonwoo still did not say a word to Mingyu about partnering up. 

Everyone got dressed after brushing their teeth, not at all ready for a week full of even more stress and even less rest.

Noticing Mingyu’s pitiful, puppy-doggish pout, Jihoon chuckled before saying, “I told you it wouldn’t be that easy, dumbass.”

 

* * *

 

“So…are you gonna ask him?” Yerim inquired, trying to play with one of the jump ropes at outdoor team play. 

“Ask who?” Mingyu mumbled.

“Wonwoo…who else, idiot?”

If Mingyu wasn’t so tired, he would’ve shot her a more surprised, bothered look, but all he could do was frown before saying, “Why is that any of your business?”

“Dunno. It’s just pretty obvious that you wanna ask him. And if I were you, I’d get to it before sweet-little-Soonyoung does.” Shuddering at her own words, Yerim’s face melded into a disgusted expression.

Careful not to drop any hint of something more, Mingyu replied, “Of course I want to ask him. He’s my best friend. I don’t want to be stuck manning a station with you.”

Yerim faked a laugh. “Oh ha ha, I’m so offended!” 

Still, Mingyu’s mind tinged with interest. “Why do you think Soonyoung’s gonna ask anyways? Don’t you think Wonwoo would just ask me first?”

“No? Wonwoo’s not the kind of person to lay a proposal out like that, at least I don’t think so.”

“Pft. What do _you_ know about Wonwoo?” 

Rolling her eyes, Yerim replied, while untangling the purple jump rope from her leg, “A lot more than you. And a lot more than you think.”

“Yeah right. I seriously doubt that.”

“Why?” Yerim questioned belligerently. “Because your Wonwoo’s half boyfriend now? Well guess what. I was here last year, and I know things you don’t. You know, just because you hate me doesn’t mean Wonwoo does.” She pointed out.

“I don’t ha-…never mind. Never mind. But about Soonyoung…how do you know…that he likes Wonwoo…”

“He couldn’t be any more obvious than you these days. I think he always has, but he never felt the need to take the jump, you know. But now that you’re here, making Wonwoo’s eyes all sparkly and cartoony, I guess Soonyoung finally decided it’s now or never.”

Mingyu nodded, watching as their campers tried miserably to duplicate double dutch tricks the Head Sports Counselor taught them some weeks ago. There wasn’t much to facilitate today, just making sure no one accidentally tangled someone else’s throat with a rope—and by accidentally, Mingyu meant absolutely on purpose. Not shockingly enough to him at this point, jumping rope could really get a rise out of grade schoolers.

“Both of you are so slow. If it was me, I would’ve already professed my love to him a long time ago.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Mingyu laughed, thinking of Yerim down on one knee, begging Wonwoo for a simple kiss, like some girl in a cheesy anime who couldn’t live without the main love interest. ”You already say what’s on your mind 24/7.”

“Life is easier that way.” She pointed out solidly.  “If not, you end up like everyone else. Waiting and wishing, wasting so much time thinking of one person….”Her voice dozed off, “…only to find out they like someone else. And all that time you could’ve been moving on, thinking of someone new. So pitiful.”

Yerim’s words touched Mingyu in a way he wished they hadn’t. With the inflictive power and softness of the statement, he almost believed she was speaking from experience.

“It’s not that easy.” He tried to rebut. He didn’t want his mind to wander into a zone of thinking of Yerim and her life— trying to convine himself he didn’t care enough. She was an ant that crawled into his home—his life—an intruder, and took all the crumbs for herself. _No sympathy for brats,_ he thought.

“Of course it is. Wonwoo and you are already friends. How much harder could it be? It’s just a race against time now.”

“But why does it have to be now? What’s with everyone and the Midsummer Night’s Festival…?” Mingyu questioned. Now it was starting like everyone had something to lose on a night designed to reward campers, _not_ themselves.

“It’s like…a rite of passage night, I guess.” Yerim muttered. She tossed the jump rope in the bin, pulling out a hula-hoop instead. She stopped to scold camper who was purposely using the jump rope to slap another camper’s legs. “Things happen.”

“Ok…” Mingyu felt like he was being dangled off a cliff, ready for the wind to blow him away with one swift movement, but not soon enough. “…But what kind of things.”

“All kinds of things: people finding out stuff about each other, makeups, breakups, all kinds of stupid shit. Head Counselor Sungyeon was partnered with a male counselor she liked back in the day,” Yerim said, making it seem like Sungyeon was older than twenty-three, “and now they’re engaged.”

Mingyu’s eyes filled with blankness, trying to understand what one thing had to do with another. 

“Just be glad you have someone to ask to be your partner.” Yerim seemed to swing away from the topic of those things like they were never brought up in the first place. Her voice switched to that strange, unsteady manner, like it had when she mentioned the deep advice before.

Not sure why he even cared to ask, Mingyu only said, “You have Hyejeong, right? I’m sure you’ll bully her into being your partner one way or another.”

With a crooked smile, masking any kind of disappointment from Mingyu, she said, “Maybe. I’m not so sure anymore. I think Seulgi already asked her this morning. They’ve gotten super close lately.”

“That’s a relief. Hyejeong is so nervous she can’t even function. It’s good that she has more friends nowadays, can’t stick around a bad influence forever.” Mingyu teased, lining his words with hints of laughter, but Yerim seemed annoyed.

_Good; now she knows how it feels._

“Guess the first part of that is kinda true.” Yerim said.

 Eventually, the campers grew tired of trying to manipulate the jump ropes into doing their bidding and settled on a game of freeze tag instead, begging Yerim to man the stereo that sat on the little green bench against the fence.

Agreeing joyfully, she turned away from Mingyu, leaving him to make his own conclusions—and to participate in an excellent game of freeze tag, of course.

 

* * *

  
What with everyone going on and on about the festival, all Mingyu could think about is how everyone was also claiming its strength in changing things at Joyrenity within the blink of an eye. 

Wonwoo was busy receiving a call during lunch that day, and Mingyu wasn’t in any sort of mood to sit with the human manifestation of rain clouds—Jihoon—who had intercom duty in the Main Cabin anyways, so he loaded his plate up with food, and walked over the sit with Minghao.

They hadn’t talked that much since the day at the lake, but as Mingyu cleared his throat and set his tray down across from him, Mingyu hoped things were going well for at least one of them.

“No Jun today?” He teased.

Pink suddenly stained Minghao’s cheeks, but he shook it off, replying, “Not yet…at least. I think he’s helping Soonyoung with a package or something...but he told me he’d be around eventually…to wait for him and stuff.”

“How has the whole thing with him been going? Get anywhere?”

“He asked me to be his partner for the Midsummer Festival.” Minghao stated, happy to say it.

 _Of course he did_ , Mingyu thought. Jun clearly wasn’t one to waste time—not like him, or Soonyoung, or Jihoon.

“Yeah…about that? What’s the big deal about it?” Mingyu asked, hoping to gather more information in between bites of food.

Minghao shrugged. “It’s kinda hard to explain? I think once you experience it… you’ll understand. It’s really fun though, especially if you partnered with someone you like.” The last words came out in a shy whisper.

Mingyu shook his dizzy head at the constant round and round with no definite answer. “But can you tell me what happened last year? What kinds of things happened to make it so…I don’t know…important to be partnered with the right person?”

“Well…last year specifically, some counselors started dating or got closer after that night. I know a lot of things changed for people. It’s just…teen stuff, you know?” That was all Minghao could gather from the back of his mind in that moment.

“Teen stuff?” 

“First kisses…I think some breakups…maybe hookups too...but those are just rumors.”

Mingyu’s recalled Yerim saying almost the exact same thing earlier, yet his eyes still glowed at the mention of first kisses—the idea of having his soon filling his mind to the brim with drop after drop of Wonwoo, until it was an overflowing stream of thoughts. “Yeah, I get you. But how does being in charge of the dunk tank or hula hoop contest get you your first kiss…or you know…laid?” He shivered at the thought of doing something like that with so many kids around.

“Oh, it’s not that stuff.” Minghao corrected him delicately, finishing the last of his meal. He seemed to have a low appetite that day, barely picking up any of the food he had gotten. “It’s the stuff after that changes everything.”

“After what?” Mingyu’s voice rose in a mix of aggravation and anticipation. _Enough with the fucking circles_! He yelled in his mind, grasping for the threads realization when no one would give them to him.

“After the festival. After the kids go to sleep… when head counselors go on watch.”

Just as he had anticipated, the small, silky red curtain of realization opened in front of him. That made more sense, he figured. And a sense of curiosity arose within him, a different kind of interest than before. Making him wonder what kinds of things specifically went on in that forest last year when the lights went out. 

Making him wonder…if he could have those things Mingahao mentioned—maybe even deeper, better things than those.

Mouth forming an ‘o’ shape, Mingyu nodded, understanding things a bit better than before. 

Minghao’s last bit of information was simple; “It’s one night where the Head Counselors pretend like they don’t see or know what’s going on. I don’t know why…none of us do. Maybe it’s just tradition? It’s like one night to be free, I’d say.”

An image of a party, like at home, etched within Mingyu’s mind. Rooms filled with drunken teens trying to maintain their cool: some people making fools out of themselves, losing shoes, shirts, screaming over video games on the TV in front of them. A gentle reminder—the faces of all the little kids in the Mess Hall scurrying around with smiles on their face—told him whatever event that went on after their festival definitely would not involve alcohol, not in a place like this.

They continued eating their lunch, well—Mingyu did, as he still had food left to finish, and chatted about other things, mostly Minghao and how he didn’t understand anything Jun did. Lunch hour was coming to an end when Soonyoung and Jun returned from whatever little business they had to take care of, patting Minghao on the shoulder with rowdy greetings.

One, however, didn’t look so happy to see Mingyu.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Jun muttered under his breath, though he wasn’t trying very hard not to be heard.

Soonyoung made a groaning, teasing sound as he sat down on one of the benches. “Ah, don’t be such a brat, Jun. No one is here to steal your little partner away, right, Mingyu?”

“Don’t be so sure about that…” Jun whispered.

Mingyu agreed with Soonyoung, but also argued—silently of course—that maybe one of them would be losing a partner that year.

“Well, Wonwoo was busy today, and Jihoon was too, but he isn’t exactly the most fun guy anyways, so I just came to chat with ol’ Minghao here.” He lightly punched Minghao in the shoulder, earning an overly protective glance from Jun.

“Maybe that’s where you learned to be such a do-“

Before Jun could say anything more, Soonyoung had slapped a hand over his mouth. 

“A douche?” Mingyu finished for him. Quite frankly, he was tired of being assumed as something he wasn’t. He didn’t let it slide at home, with any of those girls who thought him an easy lay, or teachers that thought just because he was a jock that he would turn out to be a lazy, dumb student, and he wasn’t about to let Jun—in whatever hypnotic love trance set on by the much less aggressive Minghao—get the best of him either. 

Before he even knew what he was saying, Mingyu stated, as calmly as he could, not in an angry or loud voice, “First of all, Jihoon isn’t a douchebag.”

He knew that was sort of a lie when the words left his mouth, but being right in front of Soonyoung, he wasn’t about to make things harder for the both of them. He didn’t dislike Jihoon so much that he would blatantly throw him under the bus in front of the guy Mingyu was 99% sure he liked.

“You don’t know him, and you don’t know me either, so you can quit pretending like you do.”

Mingyu wasn’t mad; he was just tired of being misunderstood. As if it wasn’t enough having everything he wanted and did overlooked by Wonwoo.

Soonyoung made a noise of laughter and followed by an obnoxious, “ooooo!”

Jun rolled his eyes at Soonyoung’s actions, and shot him a dark glance. “You’re not helping here.”

“Hey, I told you not to go assuming stuff about people! It just makes you look like an ass.”

“Yeah.” Minghao quietly muttered, and everyone could tell he was really trying to be quiet unlike _someone_ there. “Mingyu’s just my friend. And he’s a pretty cool one too…don’t think things about him just cause everyone else tells you to. What did he even do to you?” 

Frozen in a state of disbelief, Jun’s eyes peered back and forth between Mingyu and Minghao, before they saw his face grow a ripe red, and his head drop.

 _I made him jealous._ Mingyu thought, awkwardly triumphant. _But Minghao doesn’t know that, so maybe he is an innocent little lamb…sometimes._

“What did he ever do…for you guys not to like him so much?” Minghao asked again, face clearly demanding an answer.

“Hey!” Soonyoung held his arms up in defense and pouted, “Mingyu was incompetent once but I don’t hold anything against him anymore! It’s this one.” He pointed at Jun who was probably two seconds from flipping the lunch table over.

Jun, obviously enraged with the hairs of his neck close to standing at full peak, only got up, and began to walk away. 

Minghao’s face scrunched into utter disappointment, a frown immediately springing up in place. 

“God damnit. I better go calm down the beast! See you guys later!” Soonyoung said, speeding after Jun.

Realizing that some of what had just happened—his mess spilling over into other people’s like toxic waste dripping somewhere it didn’t belong— Mingyu opened his mouth to apologize. “Minghao, I’m sorry. I didn-didn’t mean to make him get all mad. I know you guys are really close.”

“It’s not your fault,” He said quietly. “If he’s going to keep acting like that for no good reason…then maybe I shouldn’t be friends—or anything else with him anymore.” Minghao’s words carried a strong, powerful weight that could sink a small canoe to the bottom of the lake, but his face was the exact opposite.

Even Taehyung had not looked so...pained—for lack of a better word—when he accidentally drove his bike down a steep hill, and ended up with a huge bloody, scabby knee.

“But-“ 

“Lunchtime is OVER! Get back to work, you wretched losers,” The loud voice sounded through the intercom, followed by a devilish laugh.

Mingyu shook his head at Jihoon’s words—the person who decided to assign him intercom duty probably felt dumb as hell now.

Minghao gathered his plate, making a beeline for the trashcan, while Mingyu followed straight behind him, in any attempt to fix what was already done.

“Mingyu, it’s really okay. I promise. If he…cares about me like I think he does…then I guess this whole thing will blow over?” He tested out the metaphorical phrase for suite, “Blow over right?”

Laughing at the wrong time, Mingyu replied, “Yeah. I still feel bad though. If I never sat with you, he wouldn’t have gotten so angry.”

Mingyu thanked god he hadn’t crossed the point of jealousy with Wonwoo where he grew so paranoid that he had to control and have hissy fits over who he ate lunch with. Admittedly though, he knew he probably came close sometimes, but after seeing Soonyoung being relaxed, cool today, he almost felt bad that they had to like the same person.

Hit with a shot of discouragement, Mingyu thought, _if there's anyone who deserves Wonwoo, it would be someone like Soonyoung._

“Jun’s not my keeper. He can’t pick who I’m friends with, and I don’t know why he would even want to. He’s never been like this before…god…why is it so hard to understand other people…” 

They opened the door of the Mess Hall, children already pushing through the space between them to run to their cabins for rest hour.  Even if the sky was blue, the grass was green, the lake calm and steady, and the air smooth—things didn’t feel right. How could they?

Mingyu laughed in agreement, but felt a pang of empathy for Jun. If only Minghao knew Jun was just suffering from a serious case of jealousy.

When Wonwoo appeared out of nowhere, stumbling through the dirt, casually kicking rocks as he walked back to the cabin, Mingyu couldn’t help but smile—so hard that his face could melt from the heat it produced.

He didn’t have anything against Soonyoung or Jun, anybody really. He kind of felt guilty to steal something that Soonyoung wanted too, but when he saw Wonwoo laugh at something, god knows what, flashing his piercing smile, he knew if he let Soonyoung have it, he would feel sicker for than he did the time they lost their first game after a six-game win streak because he accidentally threw the ball to a player on the wrong team.

There was no way he could end up fighting Soonyoung the way Jun tried to with him—jealousy eating him inside out like a sick parasite with no remorse for its victim.

He had to be the one to do whatever it was the Midsummer Festival brought with Wonwoo. Maybe it was his prized first kiss, maybe it was less—just holding hands together, sitting on logs, maybe it was more—more than Mingyu wanted to imagine in broad daylight surrounded by children. 

“What are you thinking about?” Minghao asked him quietly, still beside him on the walk to the housing cabins. Noticing his trail of vision, Minghao had his own string of realizations connect too.

“Stuff…life…”

“Are you thinking about him?”

No answer.

“Well, if you are…that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to ask him.”

Mingyu turned away from his dedicated glance on Wonwoo, surprised at Minghao’s words.

“I think you would’ve said something like that to me. Don’t be afraid. Hm…if we both try hard enough…maybe we can have what we want all to ourselves.” His voice had a hint of positivity that brought a smile to Mingyu’s face.

“Maybe.” Mingyu agreed. Knowing that Minghao and Soonyoung were good friends made him feel a bit confused, wouldn’t he root for the latter? Or maybe it was just that Minghao was genuiniely a good kid—someone who just wanted everyone to be happy, more than likely.

“But-“ Minghao started, holding out his pinky finger, wiggling it, “But we have to at least try. Let’s promise each other that we’ll at least try…even if we’re too afraid?”

Mingyu felt a new surge of happiness, and it felt refreshing that it wasn’t coming from the same person as always. Not new—but familiar— the way he felt with Jeonghan, with Seungcheol, and many others on the basketball team. An energetic and friendly surge.

Linking his pinky with Minghao’s—a nicer, better agreement than the slightly creepy, silent one he had going with Jihoon—Mingyu said. “Yeah. Let’s try as hard as we can…even if we’re little cowards. Even if we have to push ourselves so hard that we might throw up right after we say what we really need to.”

They securely locked pinkies and made the promise, while Minghao smiled up at Mingyu too. 

Mingyu just hoped what he was promising wasn’t just something empty, something easier said than done.

 

* * *

 


	12. The Letter

The only lesson Mingyu had learned within a single day was that pre-game pep talks couldn’t really be applied to crushes. His letter to Seungcheol had gotten a reply pretty fast considering the mail was only dealt with twice a week, and Mingyu couldn’t have been happier to find the bright red envelope addressed to him thrown onto his pillow when he settled in for rest hour that Tuesday afternoon.

God only knew where Wonwoo was at the time, but Mingyu silently prayed it wasn’t anywhere around Soonyoung—at least, not until he gathered the courage to open his cowardly mouth. Slipping off his sneakers, Mingyu bent uncomfortably as he tried to fit himself in the small space of the bunk without hitting his head for the umpteenth time.

Checking to make sure no one was looking—even if the letter should've been of no one's interest but Mingyu’s—he had become scarily aware of Jihoon’s hyper focus on him throughout the whole day.

Jihoon had been watching him, and not so subtlety at that. During morning check in, from his spot with his team as if he were some spy trying to collect intel—but Mingyu had to say he would’ve made the shittiest spy ever in reality, considering he didn’t even try to be discreet. There were also the bathroom breaks and walks to and from activities.

Every single time Mingyu tried to avoid him only ended with him bumping into Jihoon again. Fucks sake, it almost felt like _he_ was the person Jihoon was aiming for.

Mingyu began to rip open the red envelope, anxious to finally get input that might actually help him as opposed to whatever Yerim and company were trying to advise.

It was right there in his hand, ready to be read—of course—until the cabin door swung open, greeted by the loud sounds of Hansol and Chan arguing.

“Dude, we talked about this! If I don’t ask Seungkwan, who am I gonna have left to partner with?” Chan whined, plopping down on his bed.

Hansol sat down next to him, completely disregarding Mingyu’s awkward cough.

“Sorry bro, I already called dibs on Seungkwan!”

Chan continuing whining, “Why do you want to be partnered with Seungkwan so badly anyways!”

This, Mingyu was interested enough to wonder himself. He didn’t really know much about anyone in that cabin—he only knew so much about Wonwoo and Jihoon too. He peered up expectantly but not enough to draw attention to himself.

Hansol faked an odd laugh, face slightly burning before he replied, “C-cause Seungkwan and I….” he paused, probably trying to find a good lie, leading Mingyu to realize something Chan probably would miss, as usual. “W-we never get partnered up for group days anymore. Yeah.” He nodded, like he had to convince himself that it was the truth. “And besides… S-seungkwan is the best in our group with the kids besides Joy!”

Chan nodded, face showing an expression of deep understanding, but Mingyu stifled a chuckle at how clueless.

“Can’t you just ask Soonyoung? He seems buddy-buddy enough with you to partner up with for the festival.”

“No way. First of all,” Chan started, “Soonyoung’s older than me so it’s kinda weird sometimes.”

Mingyu—no longer really interested in one of their many bickering fests, rolled his eyes and began to read the letter—that is until he heard the keywords.

“-And Soonyoung told me he’s gonna ask Wonwoo today, so it’s pretty much a lost cause.”

Mingyu looked up in horror, worse than the time he walked into his bedroom after school only to find that Taehyung had brought his whole gang of friends over and they were busy doing what kids did best—making a mess.

Stuttering over his own words, just as Hansol had been, Mingyu failed to make it seem like he wasn’t listening. “W-wait, what?”

“Yeah.” Chan sighed, completely missing the point. “It sucks cause now I’m probably gonna have to ask Jiyeon to be my partner and she can get really rowdy sometimes, and I don’t mean like _rowdy_ -rowdy like, Soonyoung rowdy or Seungkwan rowdy, like ROWDY rowd-“

“Ok, Chan. We get it,” Hansol laughed.

“Can’t you just take her as your partner, Hansol! Please? Please please please please-“ Chan began a steady stream of begs, pouting at Hansol and clasping his hands together while Mingyu simply watched on, trying to ignore the fact that he was growing more nauseous by the minute.

“Go back to what you just said,” Mingyu requested, feeling his stomach roll.

“…Can’t you just take her as your partner, Hanso-“

“Not that. The thing before that.”

“Oh,” Chan said, “It sucks cause now I’m gonna have to ask Jiyeon-“

“Not THAT, Chan; my god. The thing before that, the thing about Soonyoung and Wonwoo.”

“Oooooooh _that_ ,” Chan caught on, clearing his throat. “Yeah, Soonyoung told me earlier that he’s gonna ask Wonwoo to be his partner, and I quote, ‘preferably before the day ends.’”

“Fuck. This is bad news,” Mingyu said, a little less quietly than he intended. The heat of the cabin was slowly starting to close in on him, along with the reality—Soonyoung wasn’t just a puppy who barked, he could bite too.

“It does suck, doesn’t it? Being partnered with Jiyeon is gonna be a trip but I guess reality is catching up-“

Hansol slapped his hand against his head, groaning. “Chan…let’s just go.”

Mingyu mouthed a ‘thank you’ as he slouched down on the bed, waiting for death to capture him as it would feel a thousand times better than this, but it never did.

Chan sported a look of confusion before he and Hansol waved goodbye and exited the cabin, leaving Mingyu in a not-so-comfortable silence.

Mingyu closed his eyes, letting himself relax in the pillow—or at least _tried_ to—talking himself into thinking it wasn’t that bad. There was still time, wasn’t there? Maybe Soonyoung would forget? Maybe he would take his time and wait till the last possible minute? He sorted through the possibilities, but each index card seemed to read ‘you’re gonna end up losing’ on the backside.

While campers scattered around outside the cabin: yelling, stepping on leaves and sticks—making anything but joyful noise—Mingyu remembered Seungcheol’s letter. Rolling off of his back, he bent over and picked it up from the ground.

 _Come on, Seungcheol. Give me something I can_ actually _work with._

Reading the first line, Mingyu started with _‘Hey Mingyu! I don’t know who still writes letters but-‘_ only able to skim it before the doors of the cabin swung open again.

The door intensely hit the wall next to it, signaling that only one demon could’ve been interrupting Mingyu now.

He mentally braced himself for whatever Jihoon was about to say, and from the latest event of the day, aka lunch, Mingyu guessed it was nothing good.

Well, that and his miserable expression—if he was considering—but, as always, Jihoon never really looked so happy to begin with.

Still, this was a different kind of miserable. Jihoon bit his fingers, rushing to his bunk and immediately pulling out his headphones and phone from under his pillow.

Just as Jihoon was ready to put them in his ears, for whatever reason, Mingyu decided to stop him.

“Wait, Jihoon. What’s wrong…”

“Life is wrong, Mingyu. Which means nothing is wrong, because life is always wrong. Nothing new here,” He rushed, eager to turn away from Mingyu.

Mingyu noticed his face was red and knuckles white enough that he might’ve gathered the strength to destroy the phone in his hand.

“Are you still mad about lunch?” Mingyu asked carefully, recalling the events from less than an hour ago. Since Wonwoo was MIA— something he had been a lot lately—Mingyu took it upon himself to sit with Minghao again.

Minghao seemed pretty unbothered—in fact, glad to have someone to chat with through his silent ongoing war with Jun. Jun—wherever he was—wasn’t with Soonyoung, so the three of them sat and made simple conversation. Mingyu realized Hansol was right about Minghao being able to talk a lot when he was comfortable, kind of delighted as he watched him joke around with Soonyoung easily.

Everything seemed okay until Jihoon came too sit with them too. Mingyu shuddered when he remembered the sudden dark aura he carried coming to interrupt the light that was residing at the table, and all he said was that he had nowhere else to sit.

“Pft, I’m not mad,” Jihoon huffed.

 _Makes sense_ , Mingyu thought. After all, there was nothing to be _mad_ about—per say—more like embarrassed. Mingyu tried to keep in his laughter, remembering the puzzled expression Jihoon had when Soonyoung asked what business had brought him to the table.

Jihoon was right when he said him and Soonyoung never talked, because if they had, he probably wouldn’t have tripped over his words like a child with untied shoelaces, growing so embarrassed that he couldn’t gather a response.

Jihoon had looked over to Mingyu—a silent cry for help, but Mingyu was too busy trying to understand what was happening to think of anything himself.

Soonyoung—in bewilderment—only laughed and said, “Hmm…I guess you _are_ a little like Jun said, no?”

Mingyu recognized that as a playful joke, all part of Soonyoung’s nature, but clearly Jihoon didn’t know enough about him to see that.

It only took Jihoon seconds to fake a laugh, pick up his tray, and wander off to another table, leaving all three of them appalled and confused.

Jihoon managed to miss the only relevant part of that short conversation: Soonyoung scratching his head before saying, “I was just gonna say quiet…Jun said he was quiet!”

“Jihoon, it’s not a big deal. Soonyoung was just teasing, I don’t think he noticed that…you know.”

Jihoon shot him a glance of half desperation, and something that made Mingyu believe Jihoon would get up and punch him right in the stomach. “I don’t...never mind…I don’t want to talk about this with someone who can’t even deal with his own problems. It’s not that anyways.”

“Oh god, don’t tell me it already happened…” Mingyu groaned.

“Don’t tell you what? ...Don’t _you_ fucking tell me,” Jihoon seemed to hold his gasp under the realization of what Mingyu was probably talking about, unclenching his fists from the pillow he was nearly about to strangle harder than a man gutting a fish.

“Nothing…” Mingyu sighed. He didn’t want to make Jihoon even more upset without knowing if Soonyoung had followed through with said task yet.

“You already started!” He fired back, getting up and rushing over to grab the neck of Mingyu’s shirt.

“Chill! You won’t tell me what’s wrong so just forget it,” Mingyu stuck his tongue out and stopped Jihoon before he could overpower him once more.

“Tell me. Tell me or I’ll tell Wonwoo you stare at him every single night when he gets dressed.”

“Fuck off, Jihoon,” Mingyu muttered, turning away. _He wouldn’t actually do it right…right? Of course he would, it’s Jihoon._ Turning back to face him, he started, “…wait.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Chan…leaked some interesting information.” Mingyu’s head grew dizzy at simply the thought of it—Soonyoung patting Wonwoo on the shoulder, asking Wonwoo to be his partner in the same manner he cutely acted with the younger campers. Sweet and sugary; so disgustingly irresistible that Mingyu probably would say yes himself if he didn’t adore Wonwoo so much.

Jihoon said nothing, only nodded for Mingyu to proceed.

“Apparently…Soonyoung’s asking Wonwoo today.”

“Go figure,” Jihoon only said blankly, then walked back to his bed in silence.

“That’s it?” Mingyu asked curiously, noting it was very unlike him to just…walk away.

“What is there for me to say? You’re obviously not going to accomplish jackshit so whatever. This is what I get for trying to make someone else to my dirty work.” He sighed, smushing his face into his pillow.

“Jihoo-“

“Forget it. Soonyoung is too good of a kid to bother with someone like me. Should’ve just listened to Yerim in the first place.”

Although he felt a pang of guilt for Jihoon, Mingyu couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Jihoon, the _last_ person you should listen to is Yerim.”

“She gives better advice than you do, idiot.”

In slight offense, Mingyu opened his mouth to argue his case again, but Jihoon had already placed his headphones in on turned them on full volume.

_Whatever. He thought. Here I am feeling bad for you and you can’t even listen? You can’t hide in your fucking headphones forever._

Mingyu looked back at him a few times, wishing there was something he could’ve done better, but he couldn’t even deal with himself. First Minghao, now Jihoon. He wondered who was the next person he would indirectly hurt.

Grabbing the letter, Minyu immediately began to read it before anyone else could slam the cabin door open again. Starting again, it read:

 

_Hey Mingyu! I don’t know who still writes letters but I guess since there’s no wifi there I have no choice to reply this way right? Kinda sucks not being able to send emojis but whatever. Can’t believe you’re finally showing some interest in a living, breathing, person, but honestly, I didn’t expect it to be a guy.”_

 

Mingyu rolled his eyes.

 

_Jeonghan and the others are doing great. We miss you, me especially cause no one else can match up to me in COD, but Youngjae is getting pretty good for someone who sucked ass a few months ago._

 

Words, words, all useless words that had no advice. He was thankful Seungcheol was nice enough to update him on everyone else, but he didn’t need an update on anyone else—he needed to update himself.

He skimmed a few lines, jumping down to a focus on Wonwoo again.

 

_Wonwoo, huh? Cute name I guess. He sounds pretty cute too, not my type though._

 

Once again, Mingyu rolled his eyes.

 

 _Anyways, if you’ve got some competition you’d better speed it up. Just…try and be more hinty…more romantic. But be careful, cause remember that one time I tried to cook something for Jeonghan while he was out and ended up almost burning his kitchen down? Yeah, don’t do something_ that _romantic. Matter of fact…just make it real simple…idk, find out whatever his favorite thing is, try and use that to your advantage._

 

Mingyu smiled at the mention of a favorite thing, beaming as he remembered Wonwoo’s only apparent love: reading. He could make it work— somehow—but in less than a day? And with Soonyoung on the chase too? The whole thing would end up being more complicated than trying to make it out of the damned forest safe and sound.

 

_Idk much about this Wonwoo guy from your letter, but it sounds like you guys are already good friends so…just lay it out there. It can’t be that bad right? But remember, you gott-_

 

Breaking Mingyu’s tight trance on the words of the letter, a flash of light coming from the cabin door beamed into his eyes strongly.

Shielding them, he looked up to see Wonwoo smiling about something and talking to someone, before laughing and waving goodbye.

A warm flurry of butterflies started to move within him— tickling him sweetly as he smiled himself. Wonwoo’s smile was still bright and cute as ever.

Noticing Mingyu’s glance, Wonwoo said, “Oh hey, Mingyu. Sorry I didn’t sit with you at lunch today; I had to take care of something.”

He began to make his way across the wooden floors of the cabin.

“It’s cool. I’ve been talking to Minghao a lot so I had a friend to sit with. Soonyoung was there too.”

“Nice,” Wonwoo smiled, inviting himself onto Mingyu’s bed and kicking his sneakers off. He sat on the far end as Mingyu tucked his legs in to make room for the two of them.

_Just ask, Mingyu…come on…_

“What’s up? I see you’ve got a little mail here? From mom?”

“Nah,” Mingyu blushed, wondering how Wonwoo would react if he ever got to read the contents of the letter. “From a good friend back home.”

“Ah. Do you think the two of us will have to write letters when we go back home?” Wonwoo asked.

Mingyu thought of the remaining five weeks and only felt queasy again. “Actually…I don’t know. How are we gonna talk when we don’t get to see each other everyday?”

Just the idea made Mingyu feel sad inside. Maybe they’d talk on the phone, or video chat, but nothing would ever be as good as seeing the real thing. His expression accidentally faltered when he realized maybe they _wouldn’t_ talk at all come the end of summer.

“Hm…we’ll figure that out when we get to that road. But we are gonna still talk for sure, man. Right?”

Extremely glad to hear Wonwoo felt kind of the same way, Mingyu replied, “Yeah. Definitely.”

_Just ask, Mingyu. He wants to talk to you when you go home. Maybe if you do this…you’ll have more to talk about than just sports and dumb camp stuff._

An unusual burst of courage started to rise in Mingyu—the first he had felt since the day Wonwoo said a first kiss wasn’t always the best. The taste of the words themselves were strong on his tongue, ready to come out and release Mingyu from his endless tirade of wishing and hoping but not doing.

_Just ask._

“Wonwoo, d-“

“Speaking of Soon-“

Both spoke at the same time.

“You first.”

Suddenly, the words dried up like an oasis after days and days of hot, burning sunlight. Awkwardly, Mingyu scratched his neck, the strong taste on his tongue turning bitter fast. “No…it’s okay. You go first.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mingyu laughed, but felt unrest settle in place of the butterflies in his stomach. _Soonyoung?_

“Anyways, like I was about to say, Soonyoung asked me to be his partner for the Midsummer Night’s Festival.”

There it was. The last hint of any hope Mingyu had dried up with the imaginary oasis, leaving his tongue so dry that he was speechless; looking at Wonwoo with a dejected expression he was trying so hard to play off.

“I would’ve been cool if we were partners,” Wonwoo started, looking into his lap oddly, which only served to make Mingyu want to explode further. “But it’s cool if we’re not right? I mean it’s just _one_ night.”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Mingyu lied. It _wasn’t_ fine. It wasn’t fine that he was such a chicken—a coward, so afraid of asking Wonwoo something so simple that would’ve taken him two seconds and that—as it appeared now—he would’ve said yes to anyway. Mingyu sat up straighter, letter still placed in his lap as he ruffled his hair uncomfortably. If only he had Jihoon’s headphones to drown himself out with. “It is just…one night.

Perhaps sensing the shift in Mingyu’s mood, Wonwoo said, “Plus, we can still have fun even if we’re not partners! The festival is always a blast so, I think it’ll be great.”

“Hmh.” Mingyu nodded in fake cheer.

“Have you asked anyone yet?”

“Ah…no, I’m not sure who yet; I want someone who can kinda do most of the work so…” Mingyu lied.

“You could always ask Jihoon, or Jisoo. I don’t think they have partners yet. Although, I don’t think Jihoon is the strongest candidate if you want someone to carry most of the weight,” he joked, chuckling.

 _Fuck… Jihoon_. Mingyu thought of Jihoon’s reaction, imaging his small but obviously very powerful self probably disappearing into the woods to yell so loudly that they’d still be able to hear it from base camp.

“Yeah, no big deal,” Mingyu shrugged.

“You sure?” Wonwoo asked again, leading Mingyu to believe something was seriously up. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he already had to say it was okay three times.

“Positive,” Mingyu stated, a hollow and empty statement in reality.

“All right. I just wanted to tell you…well... cause you’re pretty much the best friend I have here now. Anyways, I’m tired. I think I’m gonna squeeze in a nap before rest hour is over.”  

Mingyu nodded, watching as Wonwoo sat up from his bunk and began to crawl up onto his own.

“Best friends, huh,” he sighed under his breath. Maybe it was worthless to hope they could be something more, especially with five weeks left in Camp Hell. Maybe it was best for him to settle, he thought as he stared at the plain, wood walls of the cabin.

Mingyu laid down on the bed, listening for nothing in particular and looking for nothing either. His eyes began to flutter shut—body and mind exhausted from the stupid stresses that came with a teenager. Before he could be captured by sleep in full, he rolled onto his stomach, feeling a piece of paper crinkle underneath him.

_Seungcheol’s useless letter._

Sliding it out from underneath himself, Mingyu rubbed his eyes, quickly skimming all he had read without bothering to sit up straight. He found the last point he was at—the last little bit, and probably the only relevant part.

 

_But remember. You gotta do it first. Don’t waste time, or else this kid’s gonna end up with someone else. I believe in you, bro. Just say it, and if it doesn’t work out, then whatever! At least you said it! It’s worse than sitting there knowing you didn’t and already lost him. Man, I’d probably jump if someone else was getting with Jeonghan._

_Good luck bro, miss you (and Jeonghan says he does too)_

 

_\- Seungcheol_

 

Mingyu fought the urge to just rip the card in half, instead placing it underneath his pillow. Why didn’t Seungcheol just put that part at the beginning?

As Mingyu turned to face the wall, he didn't know exactly what he was feeling at this point. Under the strain of his endless urges for Wonwoo, disappointment, and every synonym for upset imaginable still didn't seem strong enough to describe how...bad—if no other word could suffice—he felt now.

The only thing that didn't completely make him feel like shit was knowing that Wonwoo seemed happy with the turn of events, and he didn't want him to feel how he felt now ever. _If Soonyoung's gonna be the one to make Wonwoo smile, at least I_ know _he will._ Maybe it didn't matter who caused that great smile to appear, only that it did.


	13. Warm Jello and Silver Wrappers

The rest of the day wasn’t particularly any better. Wonwoo didn’t bring up the whole partner thing for the remainder of rest hour, maybe sensing some tension surrounding the topic, or maybe it was just clueless Wonwoo being clueless Wonwoo. Either way, Mingyu thankfully did not have to hear about it again for a few hours; it was enough that his mind wouldn’t give it a rest. 

Tomorrow would already be Wednesday, the deadline for signups, meaning Mingyu had less than a day to find a new partner, and preferably one that didn’t want to make him gouge his own eyes out.

While he would have loved to sit in the cabin all day and just feel bad for himself and beating himself up for not acting faster, duty called.

Upon returning to the square, Mingyu noticed Jihoon was in no mood either. Not the miserable prick mood, but something more akin to his. More like…miserable _pitiful loser_ mood.

Trying to catch up with him, Mingyu sped up on the dirt path, heading in the same direction as Jihoon. He reached out to tug the collar of his shirt like he had done so many times similarly, but somehow Jihoon knew it was coming, and dodged the tug swiftly, shaking his head in annoyance. 

Quietly, but enough for Jihoon to hear amongst the typical ruckus of the campers, Mingyu said, “Jihoon, I’m sorry.” He bit his lip, hoping it hadn't  _all_ turned bad, perhaps Jihoon would actually act like a friend for once and understand.

Jihoon turned around, pinched him in the shoulder—incredibly hard and much to Mingyu's amazement, leaving him with a pained whine and his mouth hanging open. He then proceeded to turn forward again. He didn’t look back, walking off into the distance and trying to ignore Mingyu’s presence with every fiber of his being.

 

* * *

 

Dinner, for some reason, was a little more chatty and rowdy than the weeks before. Wonwoo finally showed up at the usual table, sliding beside Mingyu and shooting him a warm smile that made him want to throw up the food he had already consumed. 

To make matters worse, nearly the entire gang banded together: Soonyoung, Minghao, Chan, Hansol, even Jisoo, to sit at one table. They discussed their business freely, Hansol happily announcing that Seungkwan had accepted his proposal to be partners.

That was the only thing that made Mingyu smile for the remainder of the day—the thought that at least one person in that cabin was getting his way. He silently wished Hansol would get everything he hoped for in between chews of food. After all, he was a good kid. It was way easier to feel bad for someone like him than for himself or Jihoon.

Chan whined in annoyance, mouth full of jello when he mentioned that he did indeed ask Jiyeon, already dreading having to spend hours with her while simultaneously dealing with youngins.

Jisoo had been ‘stuck’ with Seokmin, which he said he wouldn’t have minded as much had Seokmin not scared the crap out of him earlier that week trying to ask in the bathroom cabin.

“Seokmin is a cool guy, but seriously,” Jisoo muttered, “Singing someone a proposal in the shower stall next to them is really weird.”

“It’s _Seokmin_ ,” Soonyoung laughed, wiping tears out of his eyes from how funny the entire ordeal supposedly was to him. “Why would you expect him to do something normal.”

“Touché,” Jisoo nodded, raising his water bottle to drink. 

The topic that Mingyu desperately wanted to avoid clearly couldn’t be evaded, seeing as the group took it upon themselves to all announce their partners, Minghao following next. He shrugged when he said, “Jun is my partner…well…I think he still is.”

The sting in his expression stirred guilt within Mingyu—only the last thing he needed to feel on top of soppy, pitiful, and borderline trash. 

Soothingly, Soonyoung patted his back, “I’m sure he’s not gonna ditch you the day before the signup deadline. He’s mad, but have some faith in him.”

Minghao nodded before turning his attention back to his dinner, though his appetite seemed to have shied away at the mention. 

Mingyu could definitely relate, picking at his food with the plastic fork. He noted that the only three left who had anything to announce were Soonyoung, Wonwoo, and himself. He wondered which one would pipe up first, but it was a bit stupid on his part to bother.

No sooner did Soonyoung open his mouth just as the thought was floating in Mingyu’s mind. Sliding over on the bench, he swooped an arm around Wonwoo, patting his head childishly before saying, “I’ll have you all know that Wonwoo and I are gonna be partners for the third year in a row.”

Mingyu could’ve sworn Wonwoo was a little less excited than the passive grin on his face and nod showed. Or maybe his whole love sick, mopey trip was just making him see things. He silently presumed it was most likely the second one. 

“I don’t think anyone here is surprised though,” Jisoo shrugged, aware of the history between the two.

“Well…” Minghao perked up, but quickly tucked himself away again.

Like someone had mystically called for him, Seungkwan came out of nowhere, dinner tray in hand. He plopped down right between Hansol and Jisoo, already prepared to intervene in the current conversation. “ _I’m_ kinda surprised, only cause I thought Wonwoo would end up with Mingyu, you know cause they’re kinda like boyf-“

Mingyu could honestly say he never dropped a cup of 2nd-rate jello so quickly, slapping a hand over Seungkwan’s mouth from across the table. Okay, so maybe having longish arms came in handy sometimes.

Seungkwan bit his palm, making a face of disgust before proceeding, “Gross, Mingyu! No wonder you don’t have a partner!” His expression was sour, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

From the corner of his eye, Mingyu saw Wonwoo shift uncomfortably, though he did not know which one of Seungkwan’s words—if even that—was the cause. Still, he couldn’t help but wish it was, because that would mean all hope—however small and teensy the remaining sliver was—wasn’t gone yet.

“No partner yet, Mingyu? You better get on that, because if you don’t, Joohyun’s gonna pair you up with some insufferable brat,” Jisoo pointed out.

“Can’t be any worse than being partnered with Yerim,” Mingyu joked in light of all the horrific events the day had brought thus far.

Wonwoo, speaking up for the first time throughout the entire discourse muttered, “I think whoever ends up paired up with Mingyu is pretty lucky.”

Mingyu wanted to hold his smile, biting the corners of his lips to hide the refreshing wave of literal warmth that hit him todayone—of the many shitty emotions that had found its way out of his own mental lockbox.

Somewhere, a trace of something as damp as hope glittered in Wonwoo’s eyes, which should’ve made Mingyu felt better, but in the end, it only made him feel worse. It was just a constant, steady reminder of the something he was losing a little more every day, a steady rhythm like rain hitting the tin signs or slapping against the roofs of their cabins.

_No, Mingyu. Shake it off._

He wanted for one moment in time to just stop thinking about him.

Seungkwan slapped Hansol’s shoulder in light of Wonwoo’s comment, whispering something to him while trying to contain his laughter.

Hansol only shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Everyone seemed to be sending him some kind of message in their body language, with the exception of Soonyoung. Both Jisoo and Minghao shot him empathetic, understanding glances, while Chan made a puppy dog pout that was probably supposed to make him feel better, but only made him regret looking in that direction. Soonyoung seemed oblivious to this entire strange, lingering aura surrounding Wonwoo and himself, and why would he feel it? 

Soonyoung was probably on top of the world if Yerim was right in her suspicions from Monday.

Dinner ended, with no special treat for Tuesday nights, because no—Mingyu did not consider warm jello of an undistinguishable flavor a special treat.

After the nightly meeting, just another boring half hour of Joohyun and Sungyeon blabbing on and on about safety procedures and the kinds of extra duties they would have later in the week, all the boys disbanded, straight on a course to their own cabins. 

On the walk back with Wonwoo trailing not far behind, silently for some strange reason, Mingyu wondered if it was actually time to give up. It seemed like maybe the stress of the whole situation might actually dissipate and let him breath for a moment, but at the same rate, with Wonwoo so close to him—literally and figuratively—he felt like he was too deep in this ocean to try and swim out now. He would just let it run its course, kind of like a game you had 6% chance of winning cause you were losing by over 30 points but you had to keep playing through the second quarter anyways.

Mingyu declined a card game with Wonwoo that night in favor of sleep, no matter how restless it might’ve be.

“Alright, suit yourself,” Wonwoo shrugged with the teensiest hint of disappointment in his voice. Just when Mingyu thought Wonwoo would let him go in peace, he spoke up to say, “Are you sure…you know…the whole partner thing is okay with you? I mean, if you want, I can ask Soonyoung if we can take a three-partner activity. Joohyun let some people do it last year when they begged her.”

While so many parts of Mingyu wanted to say yes, he also didn’t want to have to share Wonwoo. God, he felt like a kindergarten fighting for the last dinosaur toy, but had to recognize Wonwoo wasn’t a prize or some shit, he was a human being, with _feelings_ to consider.

Quickly shaking his head, Mingyu responded, “It’s really fine! I swear!”

Wonwoo hesitated before muttering a deflated ‘okay’, then climbing up onto his own bunk, finally leaving Mingyu alone with his destructive thoughts.

It appeared Jihoon hadn’t left the cabin in hours, and Mingyu realized he didn’t see him show up to eat dinner, but it was too late to go and retrieve a plate for him. If he had known he wasn’t going to leave, he would’ve done it earlier.

Mingyu slid the plastic out from under his bed, cracking it open to search for the little box of granola bars that he hadn’t touched since his first week, and pulled one out.

He rolled his eyes but smiled when he saw the bright orange sticky note reading, _‘I gave these up for you so dont be ungrateful! – Taehyung.’_ He was talking after their mom way too much these days.

He walked over to Jihoon’s bunk, tapping him on the shoulder, then waving the silver package in his hand once their eyes connected.

“What is this.” Jihoon mumbled, pausing his playlist.

“You didn’t eat dinner, did you? How could you skip the team meeting like that?”

“Why does it matter to you,” he plainly responded, expression resembling that of a dull and lifeless ghost just passing by for the night.

“Because. We’re friends and I’m…worried about you?” Even Mingyu couldn’t fully believe what he was saying, but he couldn’t catch himself in time to make it sound closer to a solid, true statement.

Jihoon noted the hesitance in his tone, grumbling before saying, “How convincing. I think you need to worry about yourself, lover boy.”

“Alright. But you have to eat. You can’t starve just cause you’re not getting what you want. You’re not the only one suffering here.”

In an all but appreciative tone, Jihoon responded, “Thank you, mom. You have enlightened me and opened my eyes to a new revelation! What would I do without you?” 

“Suit yourself,” Mingyu whispered. Despite Jihoon’s childish actions and spells of stubborness, Mingyu couldn’t help but worry about him. Quietly, after Jihoon turned away, he slid the silver packaging next to his pillow, hoping he would still eat it, be it in front of his eyes or not.

Still annoyed at how ungracious Jihoon was, Mingyu climbed into bed, placing the thin sheet over himself. Jisoo soon turned the lights out, but that didn’t mean he—or anyone else for that matter—was asleep.

Over Chan and Hansol’s annoying whispers and Jisoo’s coughs from his developing cold, along with a hint of Jihoon’s music playing way too loudly in the darkness, Mingyu wondered what Wonwoo was doing up there.

He hated how much he’d grown to care about the people not only in cabin seven, but this damn camp in general.

 

* * *

 

The middle of the week had arrived with one too many faults, Mingyu waking up along with the rest of the cabin. He thankfully managed to find the silver wrapper open and void of any granola bar on the floor next to Jihoon’s bunk. 

Everyone seemed to be in a wonderfully pleasant mood besides him and Jihoon, who had even the thirsty mosquitos avoiding his dark, unsettling aura. 

Mingyu wondered if he managed to look _that_ bad himself, deciding to plaster on a fake smile if it meant he didn’t have to look like a miserable fuck in front of everyone else.

Breakfast was once more crowded than Mingyu expected, with the entire group from last night assembling again for some early morning gossip and antics. Additionally, Jun and Seokmin had joined in, and somewhere near the end of breakfast, Jihoon showed up—rain and all—with a dull purple hoodie over his head and a tray full of food, plopping down next to Mingyu.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he nudged, hoping Jihoon would say something in response—anything at all, even a thinly veiled insult.

Jihoon gave him an obnoxiously fake smile before focusing back on his breakfast and not muttering a word for another good while.

 _At least he’s eating,_ Mingyu thought positively.

Of course, not even 10 minutes had passed by before someone _had_ to bring up the whole partner thing. And of course, it _had_ to be Soonyoung.

“I think I’m gonna pick the dunk tank for Wonwoo and I. It’s really fun seeing Joonmyeon get soaked by little kids. Who would’ve thought an 8-year old could have such a killer aim!” He shook his head in disbelief, voice purely excited as he smiled to everyone at the table.

Wonwoo smiled dejectedly, which was seriously confusing to Mingyu. Shouldn’t he have been _happy_ that Soonyoung was going to be his partner?

 _Of course he’s happy, he’s just not the kind of guy to show it,_ Mingyu said to himself, working through his breakfast. After a night of poor sleep, he really didn’t want to think Wonwoo suddenly didn’t want to be Soonyoung’s partner. That would’ve just been the icing on the cake: all the trouble he went through not to ask—to let him be—and have him not be happy with this turn of events.

“I’m gonna sign Minghao and I up for the little bowling one. Last year two of the campers got in a fight and ended up throwing the pins at each other, remember! He had a black eye for a week!” Jun chuckled, much to most of the group's discomfort, at the memory.

Jihoon laughed too in the quietest way he could manage, but Mingyu heard anyway. _Well…at least something is finally making him laugh._ It was pretty grim that it had to be that in particular, though.

Much to Mingyu's content, Jun and Minghao had appeared to had made up—Jun punching him on the shoulder lightly, then sometime after, ended up with his arm around his shoulder quite casually. Whatever happened between dinner and breakfast must've solved that issue, allowing to Mingyu feel another rush of relief that the others' lives were getting to be a little less suckish.

Towards the end of breakfast, they all froze at the sound of a voice on the intercom, anxious and shaky, saying, “Campers…is this thing on? Oh god.”

The speakers crinkled and cracked with static before any actual coherent sound popped back up with someone in the background yelling, “Hyejeong! Just dismiss everyone to the square already!”

“Alright! Alright, don’t yell at me!” She accidentally cried into the speaker, “Yeah. Everyone…go to the main square to start today’s schedule of daily activities.”

“Don’t forget the motto!” The voice in the background said.

Everyone burst into laughter, listening to Hyejeong and whoever was with her arguing over the intercom. “It’s stupid! No one wants to hear it anyways!”

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Jihoon pointed out.

“Hyejeong!”

“Fine! And remember everyone…”She spoke monotonically. “One cup of joy, and one cup of serenity equals one perfect day for all. Have a great day.”

Still laughing, most of the group got up and cleared out first, Mingyu trailing behind Wonwoo, who was the last to throw out his trash. He wondered what was up, hesitantly speaking up to ask, “Wonwoo…is something wrong?”

Wonwoo turned around, awkwardly scratching his neck and face showing hints of pink before saying, “No? Why would you think that?”

“I dunno, I thought you’d be more excited…you know, about the festival and stuff,” Mingyu pushed open the door of the Mess Hall swiftly.

“You know me though,” Wonwoo laughed (it sounded rather fake to Mingyu, or maybe he just needed to clean out his ears and the pits of his delusional mind), “It’s just the festival, I don’t see why I should be jumping for joy or anything; no worries bro.”

“Whatever you say…” Mingyu dissolved. 

As everyone gathered in the Main square once again, children impatiently yelling as usual, whining and spitting and biting each other, Mingyu looked over at Wonwoo again, who was nervously biting his lip.

Something was definitely amiss, though Mingyu really didn’t have the heart or energy to try and figure out what it was—for fear that it would be the exact opposite of what he wanted to hear.

 _Nothing’s wrong._ He told himself firmly, patting a few of the campers surrounding him on their heads to calm them down from their obnoxiously loud morning fits. _Wonwoo isn’t upset. He_ wants _to be partnered with Soonyoung, and he’s_ fine _. He’s fine. You’re fine._

He repeated such thoughts over and over again, but they didn’t seem real. They seemed as transparent and unrealistic as his mom trying to convince Taehyung at a whole 8-years-old that the toothfairy was absolutely real after being caught putting the money in place. 

 _Mingyu, it’s not what you think,_ He pressed to himself thickly.

Joohyun interrupted his chaotic mess of thoughts to penetrate the air with her bureaucratic megaphone. “All counselors must be signed up for an activity with a partner of choice by the end of Lunch. If not, we’ll stick you with whoever was too incompetent to listen.”

Fuck, that _too_. With all this nonsense going on, he completely forgot why he was stressing out in the first place. Looking amongst the masses of Counselors and Campers, he figured most of them must’ve already had partners, and those who didn’t were probably people he didn’t want to be partnered with anyways.

Mingyu looked over at Jihoon, who was swatting a younger little camper away as if he were a pesky fly.

Jihoon met his gaze, quickly catching he was thinking, but shot him back a bitter look that said _‘don’t even bother asking.’_

Turning away in resentment and weighing out a few options in his head while waiting for Joohyun to arrive with the daily schedule, he heard a voice say—very unclearly at that—“Hey Mingyu, let’s just be partners for the dumb festival.”

Because he wasn’t paying an ounce of attention, mind soggy with thoughts of Wonwoo and Soonyoung and all the wrong stuff, he figured it was probably just was a camper asking something about the bathroom or food or the daily schedule—the usual stuff, he nodded off, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. ”

“Good. Because I already put us together on the list. I knew you were waaaaaay to chicken to ask Wonwoo, and I saw his name with Soonyoung on the list like five minutes ago.” 

Mingyu paused in his spot, pushing a camper who had been clinging onto his leg away. Frozen in the lapses of time and disbelief, he prayed with every ounce of his being that he did not just agree to whatever the voice just asked.

The grating, most irritating voice Mingyu had ever known, spoke up again, “Don’t worry loser. I’m sure it’ll be fun, I signed us up for the thing with water balloons and darts.”

Mingyu inhaled deeply, pressing his eyes shut, then turned around. He hoped when he opened his eyes the person would have mystically been Chan or Hyejeong or anyone but who he knew it probably was.

When he blinked them open, met with the blinding, deadly light of the sun, Mingyu was most expectedly also met with Yerim making the dumbest face known to man. 

“What the fuck have I done,” Mingyu gasped, nearly knocking over a few of his campers, but clamping his hand over his mouth before Joohyun could show up with her dreaded hot pink pen and clipboard.

The children around him giggled at the sound of a curse word but turned away immediately, more interested in their silly child gossip.

“You really shouldn’t have been such a chicken, dumbass” Yerim shrugged, trying to prop an elbow on his shoulder, but failing with his height. “Fuck, you look _just_ like Siyeon when Dongmin drank the last of her orange juice,” she giggled.

Mingyu glared down at her before sighing. If he didn’t already need every bit of strength imaginable to make it through Festival Night, he needed it now.


	14. A Midsummer Nightmare; Part 1

Saturday made its dreaded arrival much quicker than Mingyu anticipated. In just a few short hours, he would be suffering through a wonderful night of whatever fate had in store for him, and better yet, right by Yerim’s side! It was all too incredible how the lack of one move brought him to the worst day he could’ve imagined, and it was only 2pm so far.  

The campers had been shoved into the Mess Hall following an early morning swim, and were now being tamed with a Disney movie marathon to keep them from messing up the decorations and details the counselors had the ‘exciting’ duty of setting up outside.

Mingyu and the entire gang had been setting up booths, hanging streamers, lanterns, and whatever the hell the list Joohyun had been swinging in their faces since 9am called for. Thankfully, the shade of the brisk trees protected them from roasting under the merciless rays of the sun.

“Alright guys, I think you deserve a lunch break,” Joohyun announced through the megaphone.

Everyone let out varied sounds of relief, dropping whatever they were currently dealing with instantaneously.

“You think?” Jihoon grumbled bitterly, throwing a paintbrush still dripping with gold paint onto the cardboard that he was using for scraps.

Mingyu sighed heavily, wiping the sweat off of his forehead, and put down the streamers and nails he was holding. The sweet, sweet release of lunch. The thought of having mediocre turkey sandwiches and orange juice that got warm too fast was almost dreamlike at that point.

All of the counselors began head towards the Mess Hall for lunch with the campers, most of them desperate for a glass of water, but already so exhausted from working for hours that it took them a lot longer than it should have.

Wonwoo, equally sweaty and flushed, poked Mingyu on the shoulder, both growing closer to the sacred Mess Hall with each step.

Mingyu shot him a quick, warm smile before looking down at his sneakers that had become straight torn apart from a beautiful and rewarding summer at Joyrenity—sarcasm fully intended. The last few days between the two of them had been…awkward, to say the least. Wonwoo tried his best to play around with Mingyu as they usually did, but there was some dejectedness in his mood, and just him in general.

Mingyu had spent every single day resenting Soonyoung for creating this imaginary rift between the two of them, and he was positive that tonight, the rift would grow so strong and deep that it would crack their worlds in two and separate them for good. He tried desperately to cling onto reality, fully hoping to avoid falling into a dramatic slump, but it was hard with everyone talking excitedly about the fun stuff they were going to do with their partners after the festival. Mingyu had even heard some things that he surely didn’t want to know people were going to attempt in a forest of all places.

Still, he also wanted to make it seem like nothing was wrong himself, so he broke a string of uncomfortable silence to say, “Wow, I knew the festival was going to be a lot of work, but seriously...we’ve been up since 8 and still have a shit ton more to set up.”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo breathed heavily, climbing up the steps of the Mess Hall. “It’s all worth it in the end though.”

Hearing that made Mingyu believe he was doing the right thing by declining Wonwoo’s trio offer. _Good, sounds like he’s finally excited._

As if almost to deliberately challenge Mingyu’s positive thoughts, Wonwoo added, “For the kids, I mean. They’re the whole reason we do this so...it’s really awesome to see them so bright and energetic during the festival. I know they’re brats but you wouldn’t believe how well-behaved festival night makes them.”

 _Now that I don’t believe for a second_ , Mingyu mentally contested.

“Well, they better be! We didn’t all get backaches and sore legs just so the brats can come out here acting like a bunch of ungrateful, entitled pests,” Jihoon muttered, walking straight pass them and into the lunch line.

He too wasn’t acting his normal self; Mingyu could sense a barrier surrounding him. He was probably just putting up a front to ignore the fact that there was a great chance the boy he had a burning crush on might end up being boyfriends with someone else by midnight. Oh, and the fact that he hadn’t directed an actual word to Mingyu since Tuesday—merely making comments that could’ve been directed to anyone—was something of a hint too.

Mingyu felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise when he thought of Jihoon's response to him asking about his partner on Thursday night, only to be partially ignored and responded to with, “Well, _Wonwoo_ -unfortunately, I’m stuck with Dongmin.”

The festival itself had yet to start, but it was bringing each counselor their own deal of worries.

Following the strange pattern from the past few days, all of the boys gathered up at the usual table, but instead of automatically being obnoxious, rowdy messes, they were all too tired to crack stupid jokes, indulging in their solid two-star lunches while having the occasional conversation here and there. The Mess Hall seemed a lot stuffier today; maybe it was just the buildup of sweaty counselors and their hot breaths contaminating the air.

After a while, when everyone got their breaths back and felt much more relaxed, the talk of the festival resumed. Mingyu was way too ready for this day to finally be over, one more word about it and he would lock himself in the storage cabin where he knew no one bothered to look in 99.9% of the time.

“Jisoo, what are you so worried about?” Seokmin hollered. “I already promised you I would try not to break the booth this year! And if I do, I’ll make sure nobody is close enough to get their arm broken!”

Jisoo gripped, unconvinced, followed by Jihoon breaking into spontaneous, rich laughter.

“Why is it whenever something awful happens, it’s always your fault, Seokmin?” he teased, patting his stomach like a middle-aged man who had just ate a fulfilling Thanksgiving dinner.

“I think you’re confusing him with Mingyu,” Seungkwan dared to correct, earning a slew of laughs and a dirty look from Mingyu himself. “What?” He held his arms up in defense, “Seokmin’s done some pretty dumb stuff in the past, but who knows what you’re capable of? I’m just being honest!”

Before Mingyu could swing into his own defense, Wonwoo said, “Give him a break; he hasn’t messed up in a while.”

“Guess we should listen to Mingyu’s personal attorney over here,” Jun irritatingly said, clinging onto Minghao.

Minghao slapped him in the lap, only to be faced with a pitiful look and grunt from Jun.

“Can this conversation-I don’t know, _not_ be about Mingyu? Who cares what he does or doesn’t do,” Jihoon complained.

They all muttered ‘ehs’ or ‘whatevers’, leaving Mingyu grateful that Jihoon’s vendetta against him actually ended coming to the rescue for once.

“I can't wait! I don't think I've ever been this excited for the festival before,” Soonyoung chimed in. “The kids are fun and everything, but I’m soooo ready for the post-festival activities. Should be way better than handing out gold prize coins.”

Again, the group collectively nodded in agreement. Mingyu realized only Chan and himself were going through their first festival. Chan, opposingly, did not seem to have the slightest bit of interest in finding out what ‘post-festival’ activities referred to.

He silently pondered if he should bother asking—after all, no one’s answer thus far had sufficed, and most of them would either: a) roll their eyes at him, or b) laugh at him, and if they were Jun or Jihoon, probably both. The festival was only a few hours away, and he didn’t want to be the only one who didn’t know what to fully expect.

Just when he gained the courage to ask the group of boys for the fullest clarification possible, the intercom sounded with Joohyun’s familiar voice. “Counselors! There is still work to be done! I know how much you all love time to clean up and relax, so if you want to have some rest time, you better get back to work now!”

The entire Mess Hall broke out into a disconnected chorus of whiney complaints, everyone grabbing their trash and beginning to clear out just as quickly as they had filled the place up.

Mingyu decided he’d better forget asking anyone, and just wait and see what it was all about. Waiting...obviously it hadn’t been working out so well that summer, but that was all he could do at that point.

 

* * *

 

By the time the counselors had finished preparing every last decoration, booth, the music, etc., six o’ clock was near. Joohyun set them loose once again, with everyone cluttering up the shower cabins in an instant.

“Why does everyone want to be so clean when we’re going to get all dirty again anyways…” Mingyu questioned to no one in particular.

“Amen,” Jihoon agreed under his breath, but was ironically leaving the cabin with his towel and shower supplies in tow.

“Gotta look good for festival night, my man,” Jisoo clicked. He had successfully fought his way to the front of the shower line and was already standing in front of the one very tiny mirror Hansol had won in a poker game from the girls in cabin twelve a few weeks ago, which hung over his and Jihoon’s shared dresser.

“Again…why?”

“Oh, Mingyu, you’re so naïve. Don’t you wanna look good for Yerim?” He chuckled when he saw Mingyu’s taken aback expression barely containing his disgust, “Or for _Wonwoo_?”

At this, Mingyu blushed, but shook his head. “Look good when we’re forced to wear those ugly shirts?” he nodded at the pile of recently washed counselor t-shirts sitting on their dingey coffee table.

Jisoo clicked his tongue again in contempt, pulling out a blue, short-sleeved button up shirt, clean but still rather casual. “There’s no dress code tonight. Just where whatever you want. Festival’s cool cause you can actually dress like yourself for once,” he informed Mingyu.

 _No dress code restrictions_ , Mingyu thought. What in the blue skies was this night actually entailing? It must’ve been special if they were allowed to wear whatever, or maybe the fact that they were allowed to wear whatever  _was_ what made it so special.

“Think of it like this,” Jisoo noticed his confused face from the reflection in the mirror, “You’re going on a date with that person you like to the fair in town. You don’t get super fancy or anything, but you wanna at least look decent, am I right? Just like when you go to a jock party in your world, I guess.”

“Yeah, I get you.”

_Great, now I have to find something decent to wear that won’t make me look so much like a dull counselor._

“It’s not that much work for guys, but the girls usually like to wear those cute summery dresses and stuff. Some nice eye candy if you’re into that.”

Once again, Mingyu shuddered. No way was he even remotely interested in gawking at the teenage girls of Joyrenity.

Jisoo started to play around with his hair, making it look better than usual, and Mingyu had to ask, “Wait…isn’t Seokmin your partner? Why are you trying to look good for him?”

As far as he could tell, there was definitely nothing romantic—barely even platonic—going on between those two.

“Because, first of all-I’m not looking good for Seokmin, don’t be silly. I just like looking cleaned up. Secondly-there’s other people in this camp besides Seokmin.”

“Hm, true.” Mingyu resigned. Grabbing his towel, he exited the cabin, ready to hit the shower cabins, where he knew the lines would be deadly long. Now he had an a little impression to make.

After fifteen minutes of painfully waiting behind a very impatient Jun, he showered thoroughly, listening in on Seungkwan and Seokmin’s awfully timed duet from two shower stalls away.

 _Those two never stop. I bet if Hansol wasn’t around they’d definitely be partnered. Hansol’s brave though,_ Mingyu thought, pulling gym shorts and a t-shirt on, simply for the walk back—he’d change after. How could Hansol be so courageous to ask Seungkwan like it was nothing, even if it did make him all embarrassed and jittery? Mingyu envied how easy it seemed for him. Maybe it wasn’t that he was brave, he just wasn’t a chicken like he was.

Upon returning back to cabin seven, most of the boys were showered, now looking pretty damn good themselves. Even Jihoon had styled his ever-fading lavender hair nicely, and donned a very Jihoon-esque outfit with a cool jacket.

Mingyu, changing into something more suited for himself, looked around for Wonwoo, not yet ready to see just how good he looked in his own clothes again. Now that he thought about it, it had been weeks since any of the counselors wore something other than those brightly-colored, horrific, camp-logo-bearing t-shirts.

When Wonwoo finally climbed down from his bunk, he had to stop himself from biting his tongue.  Granted, he was only wearing a simple outfit: white shirt, any old pair of shorts, and a thin yellow hoodie, but it was perfectly Wonwoo. It was boyish and bright, and Mingyu felt himself inadvertently smile at the sight. Of course, his head of black hair looked smooth with a few hairs still out of place, but that was okay. It felt more authentic seeing him dress like himself than desperately trying too hard with his hair like Jisoo (not that it didn’t work out incredibly well for him).

Looking past his way-too-adoring glance, Wonwoo said, “Ready for go time?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m just ready to see what all the hype is about. I’m going to be seriously disappointed if it ends up being boring.”

“There’s no such thing as a boring festival, you’ll see, ” Wonwoo pointed out, but Mingyu didn’t know if that was exactly comforting to hear or not.

The PA system interjected their short conversation with the sound of Yerim’s voice surprisingly calling out, “Hey campers! The Midsummer Night’s Festival that you’ve all been waiting for will be starting very soon, but first, all Counselors must begin to make their way to the Main Square! You have fifteen minutes, and be sure to bring be a considerate partner and pick up your partner on the way!”

Mingyu scoffed; it must’ve been scripted because that sounded way to kind and soft to be something of Yerim’s own manifestation.

“And to Kim Mingyu of Cabin Seven, you better be at the Main Cabin on time to pick me up or I promise I wil-“

“That’s enough, Yerim!” Sungyeon growled in the background, trying to muffle her laughter.

Ah, that was more like it.

All of the boys minus Wonwoo snickered at her words. “Really,” Mingyu whined, “I have to ‘pick her up?’ What is this, prom?”

“Told you!” Jihoon said, walking straight out of the cabin door.

“Festival tradition! No big deal.”

Just as Mingyu was finished getting ready, someone knocked—very obnoxiously at that—on the door of cabin seven. “Helloooooooo, I’m here to pick up a Jeon Wonwoo? Do you by any chance know where I can find him?”

Seconds later, the door flung open, revealing none other than a very keen Soonyoung.

Mingyu raised his eyebrows at the sight of how cute he too looked in his everyday clothes, but mentally slapped himself. _God, Mingyu, get it together._

“Hold on, Soon, gotta put bug repellant on real quick.”

“Cool,” he nodded.

With only the three of them left in the cabin, he felt a strange air surrounding them, floating between them in the most awkward and stiff manner.Mingyu only recalled feeling this uncomfortable the one time he nearly walked in on Seungcheol and Jeonghan in the middle of some very... entangled exercise, to put it nicely.

Soonyoung coughed dryly, meeting Mingyu’s glance, and winking coyly when their two eyes interlocked.

Mingyu felt something close to blood’s taste flood his mouth, quickly looking away.

“Alright, Soon, let’s hit it!” Wonwoo called, heading for the door. Before he left, he eyed Mingyu directly and said, “No worries, alright Mingyu? Just have fun tonight. I’ll be around, and we can have fun together later on. Good luck!”

Mingyu smiled, cheeks fading into a rosy color, and nodded back. “Good luck!”

After tying his shoelaces, Mingyu suddenly remembered Yerim waiting for him at the Main Cabin. He chuckled to himself, thinking, _whatever, she can wait. She can’t make my life any worse than it already is._

Being the last one to leave the cabin, he made sure to close the drawers that were left open like a good cabin mate, and flicked the light switch off, clicking the door shut. Putting Wonwoo’s last words into consideration, he positively thought, _hmmm…who knows, maybe tonight will be eventful in a good way._

Oh, how he wished he hadn't been so naïve.

 

* * *

 

One thing Mingyu could definitely see from the get-go was that the festival itself was a burst of chaos—the most brilliant kind, of course. It was understandable why everyone under the age of thirteen was dying of overflowing enthusiasm for it. However, manning the balloon and dart station with Yerim was far from a spectacle.

Mingyu sat impatiently on his stool, wondering what Wonwoo was doing at this very moment. He couldn’t have been doing anything suspicious, right? I mean...not with all the kids around? Mingyu scolded himself for even thinking that way, shaking his head and simultaneously shaking a few pesky bugs away from his eyes. Wonwoo was probably doing the same as him and every other counselor around: trying to keep sugar-hyped children from hurling up their dinner and biting each other's legs. It was richly dark outside—not a single hint of bright blue recognizable in a sky full of different navy shades. There were plenty of stars in accompaniment to watch the events of the festival with the best seat in the house.

“Gold coin please!” A camper interrupted his trance, waving a hand in front of his face tediously.

“What?” He said in confusion.

“Counselor Mingyu, gimme my gold coin! Oh, sorry, _please_ ,” the boy corrected himself, causing Mingyu to laugh a little.

“Oh, right. Did you hit more than ten balloons?”

“Sure did,” the boy grinned at him, holding an expectant hand out.

Mingyu peered over to confirm, shocked to see he had successfully popped about thirteen out of twenty water balloons with no trouble.

Yerim was already preparing a new set.

Mingyu pulled a gold coin out of a bin—the designated prize for winners that night. They’d be able to trade their gold coins in for better prizes (not all that much better, Mingyu thought.) They were just things like stuffed rabbits, slinkies and super yoyos, but of course to a ten-year-old, a slinky was a bigger jackpot than winning the lotto.

“Great aim, buddy. Who knows, maybe someday you can be a basketball star or something.”

“Sorry, Counselor Mingyu,” the boy sighed. “My dad told me we’re a family of baseball players!”

Mingyu made a fake cry of disappointment before bidding the boy goodbye.

Once Yerim finished setting the booth up again, she snuck up behind Mingyu, pulling his ear before saying, “It’s almost our break time. I want to get enough coins to get myself a stuffed turtle or something. God, the prizes are so lame.”

Mingyu grabbed Yerim’s wrist, checking out her watch. It was a little past 9pm, so the kids wouldn’t be out for much longer, and their token hour-long break was due.

“Sorry pals,” Yerim faked-sighed when a group of campers came towards their booth. “Looks like this booth’s closed for a little while, but don’t worry. Why don’t we go check out some other ones together?” She suggested, the air filling with eager cheers in response from the group. “Later, loser,” she waved off at Mingyu.

All of a sudden, he was left to himself. Well, the least he could do was check out some of the other activities and what the boys were up to—Wonwoo specifically.

He wandered around for a while, taking in the scenery and collecting gold coins at the easy booths, much to the displeasure of a group of seven-year-olds. For all that time they’d spent painting signs and getting mosquito bites trying to hang up lights and pretty decorations, it almost looked worth it. _Almost_.

The trees were illuminated with beautiful string lights and lanterns of various colors, mostly orange, green, and pink. Every booth had been painted and built with its own unique style, each coming out bright and eye catching. There were loads more cool, dazzling things to look at, like the little colored candles lining the sides of the paths (fake ones of course, Junmyeon was really a stickler about fire hazards), along with the streamers that matched the lanterns hanging from the intercom poles.

He stopped to grab a cotton candy from the little machine Sungyeon had set up and was surprisingly good at handling, although making cotton candy was not rocket science (the campers pretty much thought it was, if their reactions were any indication).

Playing around at the booths and watching Joohyun play a vigorous game of musical chairs with campers was certainly amusing, but Mingyu couldn’t stop that little itch in the back of his mind telling him to check on Wonwoo. It was so small, but it grew like the most pesky and disgusting rash invading his brain, forcing him to just take a peek. Just to make sure nothing weird was going on… _because the kids are outside_! _Just for the kids_ , he lied to himself.

_Why am I lying to myself…it’s not like anyone can hear the inside of my head, idiot._

Mingyu set a course for Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s booth, where he hoped at least Wonwoo would be happy to see him.

On the way, he noticed a few peculiarities, though it seemed things between the boys in their little group had been getting weirder and weirder with each passing day.

Jihoon was busy yelling at Dongmin for not resetting the water guns fast enough. Despite the fact that Dongmin was older, his face was burning bright red under the lights of the lanterns, hands struggling to keep up with Jihoon’s demands. _Hm, how uncharacteristically proactive of Jihoon._

He piped up to say, “Hey guys, how are things for you tonight?”

Dongmin eyes filled with a slight annoyance as he shot Mingyu a look that said, _‘how would you think it’s going with S_ _atan’s fourth and favorite son over here?’_

He reciprocated with a look that only said, ‘I feel your pain.’

Jihoon, however, finally deciding to directly speak to Mingyu, said, “They’re fine, you know, considering we've just had these amazingly impatient children screaming at us to reset the machine faster all night!” Him and Dongmin exchanged fiery, polarizing glares.

“Oh yeah,” he tagged on just as Mingyu was moving on to check out what was going on with Seokmin and Jisoo, “and when you account for the fact that we all know what’s going to happen over at the wonderful booth of Soonwoo.”

Mingyu almost had to hold his chest, burning in some kind of animalistic anger towards Jihoon. “Looks like someone has given up all hope,” he replied in a snarky tone.

“For me to have given up hope, I had to have had it in the first place,” Jihoon rolled his eyes, pushing Dongmin at of the way to finish resetting the water guns—Dongmin taking his sweet time clearly was not working out for him.

Seokmin and Jisoo were still sitting at their booth, Seokmin happily handing out coins to some players with an enormous, almost creepy grin on his face, while Jisoo just kept saying, “Seokmin, you can only give them those coins if they _win_!”

“Ah, whatever Jisoo! They keep doing aegyo, so how can we turn away them empty-handed?”

Mingyu looked over to see one of the youngest boy campers doing cute bbuing bbuings over and over, hypnotizing Seokmin so much that he just kept laughing and placing coin after coin in his baggie, and Jisoo grew even more appalled once all of the campers—about seven of them—joined in.

He remembered to never discount those children's ability to manipulate those older than them with such evilly cute mannerisms.

“Seokmin! We’re going to run out of coins!”

“We can always get more from a booth no one ever wins at, like…Mingyu’s!” He gazed expectantly at him. “We should just give them out like candy! Besides, it’s almost time for them to head back to their cabins!”

Screaming piercingly in delight, the kids seemed more than okay with this idea, opening up their plastic baggies with giraffe, dinosaur, and other cutesy animal stickers plastered on the sides, along with their names and cabin numbers. “More coins, Counselor Seokmin! More, more, more!”

“Hurry up, please! I really want the stuffed dolphin this year!”

Mingyu could only laugh at Seokmin’s willingness to empty out their entire prize stash, all while Jisoo shook his head and brought his hands to his face with a loud slap.

Walking around the campgrounds more, he came across Chan and Jiyeon, in which Jiyeon was begging Chan to help her earn enough coins to get the hugest bag of popcorn. He grumbled but agreed anyways; obviously charmed by the lazy hug she gave him in order to woo him.

Hansol and Seungkwan were…. _holding hands?_ By god, they were—Mingyu almost choked on his water bottle at the sight. Seungkwan carried their two bags of coins as they cutely paraded around, and Hansol appeared to be holding a cotton candy that they were shyly sharing. It was nauseatingly adorable, so much that Mingyu couldn’t help but mutter, “ugh, how cute,” when he passed by them, earning a ‘hey!’ from Hansol, but a giggle from Seungkwan.

 _So things probably_ did _work out the way Hansol wanted them too. Good things happen when you actually put yourself out there._

The first time Mingyu made it to Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s booth, they were each nowhere to be found. When asked, Junmyeon, wiping his hair with a towel from all the dunking he had suffered that night, supplied, “Oh, it’s their break time. I’m sure they’ll be back soon to clean up though; Joohyun should be announcing curfew for the kids any minute.”

Mingyu smiled back weakly, wondering where the two of them could be. Hopefully not together...hopefully not parading around holding hands like Seungkwan and Hansol…god, just the thought alone made him want to hide inside his too-small bunk forever.

“I’ll come back later then,” he thanked Junmyeon, then left.

On par with his prediction, Joohyun called for camper curfew soon after, met with nothing but boos and sobs from campers who were apparently high on life at that moment. They all began to make way to their cabins with the help of the Head Counselors to get ready for bed, and if they were anything like Taehyung, Mingyu knew they’d be in for a night of sleeping like babies from all that strain.

He walked back to his own booth, on the lookout for Soonyoung and Wonwoo, praying to possibly catch a glimpse of either—with any luck, they’d each be on their own.

“God, I waited weeks for a night with ice cream and it had freezer burn!” Yerim yelled sharply, poking at her little cup of vanilla ice cream in disappointment.

Currently, Mingyu was the one doing all the work of cleaning up, but he didn’t have the energy to scold her into helping. Whether something happened between Wonwoo and Soonyoung, he was just realized the night was over, and once he cleaned up, he could resign to a night of much needed rest.

That is, until Yerim broke that wonderful wish, “They better have more stuff over at the lake. I didn’t get any popcorn cause two kids knocked over the machine. Ugh, I’m pretty peeved off right now.”

“What do you mean the lake?” Mingyu cautiously asked. _Please just say you’re talking about tomorrow, please just say you’re talking about tomorrow._

“The post-festival party—duh.”

“The what?”

“Oh, I forgot, you have the acute memory and brain of a small baby squirrel, so let me enlighten you. Every year after the festival, the counselors all go to the furthest boundary of the camp, where the lake ends, and have a party on the shore there. I mean it’s nothing to write home about compared to those _super kickass_ jock parties you go to at home" she said sarcastically, "...since we don’t have alcohol and stuff, but it’s pretty bomb in my opinion.” She shrugged.

Mingyu felt his dinner and the cotton candy roll unpleasantly in his stomach, and his head grow light. He totally forgot all of that post-festival crap the boys wouldn’t stop alluding to. Suddenly, the cool air of the night was closing in on him, forcefully and stickily, trying to process what she said.

“So what you’re saying is this night isn’t over?”

“Ain’t even close, buddy,” she patted his back in a more mocking fashion rather than comforting. “Don’t worry, while Soonyoung and Wonwoo suck faces, you can listen to a beautiful duet by none other than Seokmin and Seungkwan.”

_Wonwoo._

As soon as they were done packing up most of their booth, Mingyu immediately began stomping over in the direction of the Dunk Tank. Clearing out his mind and blocking out everybody around him, including the yells of Jihoon, Yerim, even Minghao, he sped over to their little spot in record time.

 _I just need to make sure…nothing’s happened yet_ , he thought, panting from walking so far in such little time, and his thoughts trudged in tiredness with him. _Gotta…make…sure…there’s still…too much of this night…left._

Upon arrival, Mingyu’s naivety from earlier crushed—dissolved like powder in a drink, filling up his entire body with a dark, dismal color and by the hands of diffusion, spreading wholly throughout him. Frozen at the most inconvenient moment, his feet clung to the broken twigs and leaves underneath him. With this sight, he wanted to turn away, but his body felt heavier than a sinking ship making its way to the bottom of the ocean.

Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s faces were so close that even a sheet of paper wouldn’t be able to fit between them. He heard someone whisper something to the other. Their noses could’ve easily collided—Mingyu wished they did so that they'd end up laughing awkwardly and turning away from each other. They sat against the dunk tank, both with their backs flat against the blue, tall tub, but in a spot where the light of the lanterns was dim and weak. A little stuffed fox wearing overalls and circular glasses sat in Wonwoo’s lap, and Mingyu was in no mood to guess where it came from or who was the giver of such a…darling gift.

Some sort of confused look clouded Wonwoo’s eyes to the brim, and at that point, Mingyu could not coherently tell what was going on. Okay, he had _some_ idea, but it was so dark where Wonwoo and Soonyoung were about to ‘bump foreheads’ that his eyes could only detect so much.

Stuck rigidly in place, he waited and waited for Wonwoo to pull away, but nothing happened.

Nothing happened—except the loud, agonized voice belonging to Yerim shattered this god-awful moment to pieces, “Jesus fuck, you guys! You couldn’t have waited until you got to the lake! No one wants a front-row viewing of this PDA! Gross!”

For the first time in his entire five weeks at Joyrenity, Mingyu wanted to pick Yerim up and spin that loud mouth around in celebratory circles until she grew sick.

 _Guess sometimes little brats_ can _come to your rescue._


	15. A Midsummer Nightmare; Part 2

As the night continued on, Mingyu was only left with a warped, uncomfortable feeling pooling in his stomach. The only way he had gotten out of that situation without completely alerting the entire camp of said event was clasping a hand over Yerim’s mouth and dragging her away, face showing a painfully awkward smile at the same time.

Mingyu couldn’t forget the look on Wonwoo’s face when he realized Mingyu (and Yerim) had been watching, no matter how many times he tried to empty out the cartridge of the thought, and replace it with a new one.

Despite the fact that it was dark out, Mingyu could clearly see a simple readable expression—hurt. For whatever reason, Mingyu wasn’t entirely sure, but he did think it had something to do with the obvious fact that he interrupted a private moment, and he would be hurt too if someone did that to him. Well, that was just one reason that floated in his mind, but another, less likely one also clouded it up.

“Would you relax?” Yerim poked at him from behind, suddenly nudging him to make room on the little log bench for herself. “I mean, it’s not like he’s gonna kill you or anything,” she muttered with a mouth full of popcorn. Apparently, the machine _had_ been fixed.

Everyone was gathered around at the furthest end of the lake just as promised. The counselors, minus most of the Head counselors, were all scattered throughout doing their own things: flirting, relaxing, throwing each other into the water, playing stupid games involving bats and spinning—you name it, they were doing it. They had managed to carry along the bulk of the leftover festival goodies and were indulging in overeating much of it, just like children on Halloween.

It was brilliant, seeing every counselor so energetic and actually laughing, as opposed to the average miserable day of waking up at 8am to deal with the future leaders of the world. The weather was also in agreement, wonderfully cool and carrying a light breeze, but even so, Mingyu was caught in a hold of tight air and uneven breathing.  

“You can’t cry over spilt milk forever…it’s supposed to be a fun night.”

“Hmm…because it’s been _so_ much fun so far,” Mingyu scoffed.

He hadn’t seen Wonwoo in a while—thankfully. Partly because he was avoiding him, and partly because he felt like Wonwoo wasn’t looking for him anyways. People do get tired of always chasing you.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jihoon joined in on the conversation, finally gearing up for what seemed like a full conversation with Mingyu. It should’ve been comforting, if you took away the fact that Jihoon didn’t know yet.

That was the absolute last thing Mingyu needed.

_A Wonwoo who probably hates me, check. A Jihoon who will probably end up hating me too, check._

Mingyu eyed Yerim quickly before she could let the secret only they shared loose.

“Oh, nothing. Just being a miserable fuck as usual. I’m sure you know all about that,” she teased, faking a sigh of pity.

After Yerim got up and retreated, Jihoon sat down. He looked almost…over it. Maybe there was even a hint of a smile in there that made Mingyu believe they could get through this—whatever it was...heartbreak, or maybe Just another part of life—together. But Jihoon didn’t know yet.

Mingyu contemplated on whether he should just let it spill, reflecting on his past decisions to keep stuff bottled up. Fidgeting with his hands in his lap, he decided to leave it—only for now. Maybe tomorrow Wonwoo and Soonyoung would walk hand in hand to breakfast, and he wouldn’t have to say a word anyways.

He punched himself mentally for even thinking of such a depressing ending like that.

The two sat in a regular silence for a little while, both taking in the sight of their fellow counselors. A clumsy group of male counselors nearly tripped and dropped the boy they were carrying straight into the campfire sitting a good distance from the edge of the lake. Music played from their busted up speakers.

Mingyu still bit the inside of his cheeks, fighting thoughts between two very specific people, until he cracked. _I would want Jihoon to tell me. If I tell him now then he won’t be surprised if he sees tomorrow. Yeah._ Mingyu nodded to himself, earning a strange stare from Jihoon. For some reason, he looked sort of…delicate today? Of course, that only fed Mingyu’s ugre to not tell him, but it was his duty as an unspoken friend.

“Jihoon, when I went back to the d-“

“Hellooooooo everybody!” Jun hollered, bringing the entire gang to the little section of logs that Jihoon and Mingyu were currently sitting on. His arm was wrapped around Minghao, who looked incredibly guilty about something, but there was no need to ask. Mingyu was sure someone would bring it up in a second.

Seungkwan and Hansol also sat down on the log across from theirs, hand in hand, looking shyly in different directions, sporting the patterns of a newly born relationship.

Chan found himself a seat on the edge of Seungkwan and Hansol’s log. His face was littered with signs of someone planting innocent kisses all over it, but he didn’t seem phased at all. His mind was probably somewhere else, typical Chan.

“What is this, festival night or the birth of the newlyweds night?” Jihoon rolled his eyes.

No one offered any response until Jun piped in and said, “Well, at least some of us are _actually_ getting with the person we like.”

Jihoon shot him a venomous glare before looking away, “I don’t even want to know what happened…there…”

Mingyu sat in confusion, looking around until his eyes fell upon a very particular white spot near the hem of Minghao’s shirt.

“In the forest?” Chan asked, versing a thought Mingyu wouldn’t dare say aloud, though was a little interested in himself. “Doesn’t that kinda….you know…isn’t it uncomfortable?”

Minghao shrugged, barely even acknowledging the situation before Seungkwan snickered, “But you have kiss marks all over your face.”

“And?” He charged back,” That doesn’t mean I did anything! It’s a lot easier to get kissed in the forest than…you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Hansol groaned.

“Did you guys do anything special?” Mingyu asked with a slight curiosity, despite already knowing the answer. Those two could barely look each other in the eyes without blushing, but it was endearing in that sick kind of movie way.

“…Well…not really,” Seungkwan shrugged, but still smiled brightly anyways. “But I think we will soon. Besides, we’re all here to enjoy the party and be with our friends, you can do this stuff any time.”

“Not when you live five lifetimes away you can’t,” Jun sighed regretfully.

Mingyu was reminded that today was the five-week point, and the clock wasn't running any slower.

“Seungkwan only lives two towns over from me; it's less than half an hour away!” Hansol nodded happily.

“Oh, how wonderful for you two bonbons,” Jihoon sneered, making a face that said ‘nobody-here-even-asked.’

“How far does Wonwoo live from you, Mingyu?” Seungkwan questioned. All eyes seemed to show a sign of interest at that.

Mingyu gave them all a look of discomfort before saying, “Uh…I Don’t know? It’s never come up. Why would you ask that though…we’re not…”

“Yeah, whatever, you’re not _together_ ,” Seungkwan finished for him. “But wouldn’t you want to know where your friend lives? Just cause you guys aren’t together doesn’t mean it’s cool to just forget about him when you leave here.”

“Or forget about him while you’re _still_ here,” Minghao pointed out in a whispered tone. Mingyu caught the subtle implication with a trace of bitterness.

“If you’re all so interested, I guess I’ll ask next time I see him.”

They all seemed content with the response, nodding.

“Where is Mr. Charming Black Cat?” Jihoon finally asked, breaking the tiny, almost non-existent sea of calmness Mingyu was trying to maintain.

“Oh, you know, around.” Seungkwan supplied very weakly.

“Maybe he’s with Soonyoung,” Chan held a finger up.

Hansol nudged his shoulder, only met with a slight whine and look of confusion.

“Nah, I saw him a little while ago getting some of that fancy leftover sorbet stuff they jacked from the kitchen earlier. The lunch team is gonna be pissed off when they find out.”

“So much for Sorbet Sunday…” Chan groaned, with the others again nodding in agreement.

Mingyu felt his body lighten up at bit knowing Wonwoo wasn’t with Soonyoung, but nothing could ever be that simple to him. What if he was getting the ice cream _for_ Soonyoung? After all, Soonyoung probably gave him the little fox he was parading around with, and now it was his turn to reciprocate.

Mingyu bitterly thought of all the gifts they were giving each other that night, both literal and figurative. However, he did remember Yerim’s one comment while he was dragging her away from the dunk tank as quickly as his legs and the unsteady state of his mind could allow him.

After biting him in the palm and releasing herself from his tight grip, she said, “Wait…were they even kissing?”

That was something Mingyu himself couldn’t find the answer to. If they were, obviously it was short-lived, but with the lighting, there was no way to know unless either of the two told them. Like everything else, he knew he’d find out eventually through the grapevine of Joyrenity by tomorrow morning.

Being right on the edge of the lake, there weren’t any pesky treetops to obstruct the perfect view of the stars tonight. Mingyu looked at them in both bliss and hatred, indulging in their beauty, but also yearning for the day where he was back in the city—too foggy and polluted, too far to even see one clear star. Back to a world where he actually knew what to expect.

The next party of hooligans to swarm in was Jisoo and Seokmin, Seokmin laughing on and on about some stupid inside joke he had with another counselor, and Jisoo simply sighing and taking a seat on the other side of Mingyu.

“So,” Mingyu started, “have you hit the jackpot yourself yet? Win anybody over?”

Jisoo shrugged while replying, “the only thing I won tonight is Seokmin’s terrible book of endless puns, and actually, I’d consider that a loss.”

“Hey!” Seokmin contested. “Soonyoung thought they were funny!”

“Yeah, because you both act like middle schoolers twenty-four/seven!”

While the two went back and forth, the boys watching like vigorous spectators at any old sports game, Mingyu’s mind lit up at the mention of the name. Wonwoo was accounted for…kind of, now where was Soonyoung?

“Soonyoung…where is he anyways?” Mingyu chimed in, trying to make it sound as casual as possible.

“Probably poisoning this camp with his horrible humor just like Seokmin does,” Jisoo muttered.

Mingyu expected Jihoon to laugh at such a tuned crack at someone given his nature, but he just blinked blankly, almost like he didn’t even hear it. It only reminded him that he wasn’t the only one in deep—far from just treading water.

“Don’t be such a downer, Jisoo! I think you’re just mad because Younghee laughed at all of mine and not yours,” Seokmin jabbed playfully.

Once again the group fired into an argument of whose sense of humor was better, ending in a tie that left Jisoo bitter and Seokmin in a fit of laughter, screaming 'I-told-you-so' like a tot getting a question right and shoving it in his friend's face.

“Enough of all this trivial stuff!” Seungkwan waved his free hand off. “When are we gonna get the singing going?”

At this, the boys let out riled cheers, extremely ready for what appeared to be the highlight of night.

“You’re lucky I remembered to bring my guitar this week,” Jisoo sighed, getting up to retrieve it from wherever it was he left it.

In no time, many of the counselors had gathered around the huge campfire, radiantly burning orange and red in the darkness of the night with hints of sparks crackling everywhere. With Jisoo’s guitar out, and the wonderful harmony of Seungkwan and Seokmin’s voices filled the air with something other than their usual slew gossip and jokes, it was easy to forget where Mingyu was, and the situation he was smack dab in the middle of. The lovely sound of their voices was nice, it was the calm before the storm Mingyu knew he’d have to deal with after seeing Soonyoung appear from nowhere without Wonwoo.

Nearly everyone was gathering up at the campfire circle, trying to sing along with the boys, so there wasn’t really anywhere else for Wonwoo to be.

Knowing full and well what kinds of awful things could happen in that forest, Mingyu stood up, his stomach grumbling with a fit of newborn worry.

Making his way towards Soonyoung, who was leaning against a nearby tree, singing along while trying to hold a conversation with another counselor.

He made a little pout when his eyes met with Mingyu’s, “Are you here to interrupt this good old fun too?”

Mingyu paused in shock and slight offense, but took a deep breath when Soonyoung laughed and punched him lightly in the shoulder, saying,” I was just kidding!”

“…I know it’s kinda weird of me to ask at this point but-“

“Where’s Wonwoo?” Soonyoung finished for him.

“That obvious?”

“Not to other people, but to me, kinda. Cause we’re swimming in the same boat, you know.”

Mingyu was a little taken aback at how frank Soonyoung could be with him about their little similar dilemma. Although, it was oddly comforting to know someone felt the same constant pull that he did, even in such a pitiful night.

“Well, clearly I don’t blame you. I’ve got a good idea, but I’m not positive or anything. He kinda ran off after you and Yerim…you know.”

“Yeah…I’m really sorry about that,” Mingyu said directly, voice littered with hints of embarrassment. It wasn’t completely a lie. “I’d be pretty mad if someone interrupted a kiss between someone I like to-“

“A what?” Soonyoung began to chuckle lightly, until it grew so loud that it almost made the group of counselors belting out in song stop to shut him up. Stumbling through his own laughter, he wiped a tear from his eye before saying, “ _Kiss_? We didn’t kiss!”

Muddled with thick embarrassment, Mingyu shakily replied, “You didn’t?”

“Oh man, no. Although that would’ve been pretty awesome, we didn’t.”

“Why were you so…you know…then.”

“Ok, this is gonna sound really dumb but it makes sense to us,” Soonyoung said, leaning in to whisper to Mingyu. “We were having a staring contest.”

Mingyu’s eyes almost popped out from how hard he rolled them, nearly giving himself a migraine. A _staring_ _contest_? There was no way in hell they were having a staring contest, Mingyu was not going to fall for such a bull answer. No, he didn’t want to believe they were kissing, but really, _a staring contest?_

Soonyoung seemed to take note of his flurry of confusion, giggling cutely, which nearly threw himself off from the task at hand. “I told you it would sound dumb!”

“Soonyoung, you really expect me to believe that? You like him and you were _that_ close to him, and you were only having a staring contest?”

“That is correct,” he confirmed. “I _was_ going to kiss him a literal second before Yerim showed up, but I didn’t so, I guess the hands of fate were better to you today than to me. As for the staring contest, we do those all the time. We’ve been friends forever, you know; we came up with that when we were thirteen. We used sleep in the same cabin. We always did stupid stuff after lights out, and the only way you can tell if someone’s eyes are open in the dark is by being super close!”

Mingyu shook his head at the ridiculous reasoning behind it all, but savored in the relish that they didn’t kiss. Wonwoo was still somewhere out there, unkissed and unclaimed. He just didn’t know where, reminding him to get back to the point. “So…if you guys didn’t kiss or anything, then where is he? Wouldn’t he still be with you if you were just having a,” Mingyu had to pause from so much disbelief, bringing a hand to his forehead,” staring contest.”

“Like I said, I'm not positive. You know him just as well as I do. You’ll figure it out,” Soonyoung winked charmingly, then sauntered away, already singing along to the lyrics of an old trot song Seungkwan was nailing in the background.

 

* * *

 

Despite darkness completely taking over the camp and the night, the counselors showed no signs of stopping. They went from solos to duets to full on group karaoke all with the sole use of their voices and Jisoo’s guitar.

Mingyu would’ve sworn if he didn’t already know they weren’t subjected to any alcohol, they just might’ve been drunk the way they clung onto each other and swated overdramatically with the wind.

He went a few rounds around the logs; just making sure Wonwoo wasn’t tucked in between any couple or with some random friend. Once he pretty much confirmed it, he stood by the trees, wondering what his next move was.

There wasn’t much time to waste, so he began to walk back to the festival area. Maybe he just wanted to clean up more? Maybe he went to bed early? Mingyu considered all of the things like points on his fingers, but none of them felt right. Wonwoo wouldn’t just abandon the party without telling a single person. Plus, Soonyoung told him he’d figure it out.

Soonyoung knew he was out there and he looked pretty damn sure, so, he must’ve been.

Growing further and further from the small party and chorus of yelling voices, Mingyu began to make it back to base camp. The sound of the distant group had virtually drowned out. He looked quickly in their own cabin, running around with the strain of uneasiness, then checked the bathroom cabin. Hell, he even peeked in the Main Cabin, only to find Joohyun and some other Head Counselors in the midst of a poker game, their currency being gold fish.

She seemed very shocked to see him, but asked no questions.

After he departed from there, he ran around a bit more, tirelessly until his lungs were on fire. Where on earth could Wonwoo have gone and…why? Why would he just run away if Soonyoung didn’t even kiss him? If he didn’t have anything to hide? Eventually he had to stop and catch his breath, ironically settling in front of the beloved dunk tank.

“You…you’ve caused me a lot of stress tonight,” He voiced his thoughts to no one in particular, smacking the side of the tank with his hand before leaning against it.

_Come on, Mingyu, think like Wonwoo. Where would I go if I was mad or…sad, or whatever._

He bit his lip, sorting through some thoughts and memories, thinking of Soonyoung’s last words to him. _“You know him just as well as I do. You’ll figure it out.”_

The only place Mingyu could specifically remember Wonwoo going when he needed to be alone that one time was to talk to Soonyoung, but obviously, that one wasn’t going to help him anymore.

He looked around as he sat against the tank. _Let’s see…tank…trees…bushes._ This was going absolutely nowhere. And he didn’t even know why. All he knew is that Wonwoo didn’t get kissed and now he was gone.

A beam of sweet faith radiated in Mingyu’s brain, backtracking on the word kiss. How embarrassingly grateful that Soonyoung’s little staring contest plan didn’t follow through seared specs of happiness in him, bringing him to smile in the dim light of the few lanterns that were still up. Maybe when he found him, they still had time to get that first kiss, to hit the mark on that one goal.

He smiled even harder, thinking of how innocently cute that moment was. It was only a few weeks ago, but considering all that happened, it felt like forever ago. All Mingyu wanted was to know Wonwoo was okay, and see him smile just like he did that day. He just wanted them to act like friends again, if nothing else.

The worry was starting to set in deeper, and he wondered if that was how Wonwoo felt when he was missing. Granted, his situation was not on purpose, but still.

As he recalled the day he made the promise to himself, a little bulb lit up over his head, coincidentally like the lantern hanging over him.

_Of course_ , he thought _. The rock. Wonwoo was probably at his rock hiding spot._

Mingyu began to chuckle at his own cluelessness, but at the same time laughed knowing Soonyoung was right. He _did_ know Wonwoo well enough, and even if it meant getting his heart broken within the next hour, he was going to tell him the truth. Even if tomorrow they wouldn’t be able to look each other in the eye, he couldn’t keep it bottled up anymore. Mingyu thought fearlessly, standing up and wiping the dirt off of himself. All the resolve and frustration forced into a teensy glass bottle, almost about to crack from the pressure pounding against the glass, would finally see its way out, no matter the result.

 

* * *

 

“There you are. I was worried I wouldn’t find you,” Mingyu cleared his throat, immediately settling down next to Wonwoo.

Just as he suspected, he was seated against the large boulder Mingyu figured was something of a hiding spot for him, his own solace.

“Hope I’m not bothering you or anything.”

“Well, you are,” Wonwoo replied back frankly.

That was the exact opposite of what Mingyu expected to hear.

He couldn’t make out any facial expression—given the only light around them came from the moon and the fake candle in a cup Wonwoo had placed on top of the rock, but he had an underlying feeling it was anything but the lovely one he was yearning for.

“Sorry, I just-“

“Mingyu, what’s wrong with you?” He asked sharply, voice edged with some strong aggravation.

“What do you mean…” Mingyu replied in a cautious, childlike voice.

“How could you be so…I don’t know…blind?”

Still, it wasn’t clicking—much to Wonwoo’s ironic disappointment.

“Does everything I do just fly over your head on purpose or are you just…ugh, I don’t know?”

At first it sounded like a playful jab, but as the conversation carried on, Mingyu grew more anxious that he initially was.

“Mingyu, admit it. You’ve been avoiding me.”

He laughed to try and break the tension in the darkness, and replied, “Well…maybe a little…but only cause I thought you and Soonyoung…you know.”

“No, I don’t mean today. I meant you’ve just been avoiding me, period,” Wonwoo corrected him.

Mingyu couldn’t gather any excuse for this, because it was somewhat true. After all, he was too bothered by the whole partner thing that it was hard for him to enjoy being around him.

“No response usually means the person is right.”

“Not always…” Mingyu tried to plea his case.

“So, you haven’t?” Wonwoo questioned.

Sighing, ready to own up to his own stupid actions, Mingyu finally let the thick chain weighing down on his back all week losen up. “I…kind of.”

Wonwoo scoffed before scooting a little further away from Mingyu. So far, his plans were turning into soggy blueprints accidentally left in the rain.

“I just…”he tried to voice a solid reason, but in his head, it sounded so plain juvenile and awful. _Hey Wonwoo, I’m just a jealous brat, which is why I’ve barely talked to you all week?_

“Seriously…is there something you want to tell me?”

_Of course there is. There has been for the last couple of weeks. That you’re the best. Your smile is probably brighter than the entire basketball team’s after winning a game combined, even though you only smile at really random times. That your sense of humor is a little weird, but your jokes are still funny to me, and your puns are better than Seokmin’s. It’s a little annoying when you have your little reading light on at night, cause I can see cracks of it on our wall, but I don’t really mind. I think it’s nice that reading makes you happy, that you never stop, that it makes you, you._

All of those things flew through Mingyu’s head like beautifully, carefully arranged pages of sheet music, harmonic and wonderful and so in place, unlike his life. But he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Luckily, (or not so much), he didn’t have to.

“Mingyu, why can’t you just tell me the truth? Why can’t you just…say you like me _too_?”

The word ‘too’ never seemed to hold as much weight as it did in that moment. If Mingyu was frozen in front of the dunk tank a while ago, there wasn’t anything to describe how stunned he was now. Maybe he pictured it being different, feeling a little bit more real, but there, knowing Wonwoo liked him _too_ , it felt more surreal than any of Mingyu’s stupid basketball dreams. This was something with weight and something that could really fly.

Almost immediately paralyzed by a wave of shock, Mingyu forgot Wonwoo was expecting a reply. He did just air out something that was notoriously difficult for most people.

“Aren’t you gonna say anything? Seriously?”

_What do I say, what am I supposed to say?_ _I like you too? A lot, so much that you practically live in my dreams every night, or is that too corny?_  It was an opening on the runway for takeoff, but why couldn’t he say it back?

In his bout of rigidness, Mingyu heard Wonwoo take a deep breath in the darkness.

“Do I have to do everything for you? I have to save you from all the kids and the Head counselors, and even from Yerim being annoying, and you can’t just do this yourself, for once?”

Mingyu wondered what he particularly meant by that, only falling under the realization that Wonwoo indeed had been something of a life saver that summer, in more ways than one.

“No, I just-“

“Or maybe, you _don’t_ like me back, and I’m just being an idiot in the middle of the forest here,” Wonwoo groaned.

The usual tension felt different tonight; it was like relief when you know you’ve finished one half of the test, but a whole new batch sets in when you realize you’re not done yet.

“I, I…I just-“

Wonwoo didn’t press him for a response, patiently waiting for something plausible in the darkness, but Mingyu couldn’t produce something real. Shock, the good kind, was surprising not as enabling as he hoped it would be all this time.

“I knew it was too good to be true. Soonyoung is an idiot,” Wonwoo scoffed again, beginning to stand up. Mingyu immediately noticed the little fox still in his presence.

“Wait…what do you mean Soonyoung?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“No..what do you mean, Wonwoo? Tell me, please,” he nearly begged, only realizing how odd it sounded after the fact.

“It was stupid, just something about you liking me. Fuck, I knew he was just playing around,” Wonwoo tried to play it off very smoothly, but stumbled over words himself, and Mingyu could hear the unsettled embarrasment in his voice.

_Mingyu, just tell him you do!_

“But it’s not…he’s no-“

“It’s fine,” Mingyu couldn’t see, but he could tell Wonwoo was doing that smile he always did when he was pretending. “If you ever want to tell me what all that avoiding and pretending not to be bothered was about…I’ll be around. “

Wonwoo began to make his way away from his treasured hiding spot—even that had become invaded by Mingyu, the one person he himself tried to get away from after all the frustration had began overflowing like a pot of boiling water set too high for too long

“Almost forgot,” Wonwoo stopped dead in his tracks, backing up a little. He tossed the stuffed fox into Mingyu’s lap. “I tried to stop by your booth, but you were always busy so, I figured you wouldn't get that many coins on your own. It's just something stupid something to remember me…and cabin seven and everything…when you go home...”

Mingyu immediately clutched the fox in the darkness, hearing the bittersweet explaination of the gift that wasn’t actually given to Wonwoo, but won for _him_. He wanted to stand up and shake Wonwoo by his shoulders and tell him it wasn't stupid at all, it was the cheesiest yet sweetest thing someone had done for him in a long time, but of course, his body was still not in check with his mind.

Mingyu took some time to collect his thoughts, even more scrambled than before in the near dark, petting the fox as if it were a real pet and resisting the urge to bang his head against the boulder for being so plain stupid.

“Well, little Wonwoo. I guess we have to figure something out now, don’t we? He already likes me…so it can’t be that hard, right?”

However, Mingyu couldn’t believe those words himself; nothing was ever short of ‘that hard.’

After a while, he stood up and made his way back to the lake party, with its strong fire still burning and stash of wood still high enough to go for some more hours. It had to be at least midnight, and Mingyu wondered when the group would tire out. All things considered, they did chug down sugary drinks and crappy food like beasts—one of the counselors eating so much that he had left a repulsive puddle of his upchuck by the popcorn machine that everyone was now avoiding.

Upon his return, he easily spotted Wonwoo sitting with the boys, but a general distance from them, all settled off on his own. He tried desperately to make some bright eye contact, but quickly realized their roles were being reversed.

The only good thing that happened after that was the surprising sound of Jihoon…singing? A strange, foreign sound to Mingyu’s ears, although far from unpleasant, filled the air as Seungkwan had convinced Jihoon to do just one song for them.

“Come on, Jihoonie! You’re a great singer, why can’t you just sing one for us?It's festival night! Please! Please?” He pleaded, with Seokmin following suite, both clasping their hands together. Many others, like Chan, Jisoo, and a bunch of random counselors joined in to chant his name, until Jihoon’s face started to turn pink.

After many chants, he waved his hands, agreeing. “Fine, Just one.”

It was the second most delightful surprise of the day, right after Wonwoo’s incredibly frustrated self pouring a confession that only seemed to make things harder. Still, Mingyu felt himself quickly become encapsulated by the sound of Jihoon’s voice.

His last tranquil thought before another week of walking straight into the storm was that he at least now he didn’t have to worry about telling Jihoon about any kiss. There was still time for happy endings, he hoped, enjoying the last bit of Jihoon’s song.

There wasn’t any time for self-pity or whining now. Soon enough, they’d be holding hands just like Seungkwan and Hansol, or maybe parading around (surprisingly shamelessly at that) with some sort of unsightly stain on their shirts. Either way, the festival was awful, given, but it did give birth to Mingyu’s renewed hope. _Hm…maybe it wasn’t all bad after all._

Everyone was— however—right. There was no such thing as the festival being boring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: and so, here we are at a meanie revelation, took them long enough!


	16. Unexpected Appreciation

The next morning was filled with counselors moping in a heavy daze. Most ended up leaving the lake at around 2am, and would’ve stayed longer had they not realized this wasn’t an actual free-for-all function, and they had work some seven hours later. The Mess Hall was teeming with air thick of exhaustion, everyone coming to the dark realization that although the party may have been fun, it was not their brightest idea to stay out that late. Mingyu could’ve attributed Wonwoo’s silence all morning to that, but he knew that would be too good to be true. Things had definitely taken a turn—but it was still undecided whether it was for better or for worse. Hopefully, with the four remaining weeks, Mingyu would be able to come out victorious with a sparkling gold crown signifying a sole thing—winner of Jeon Wonwoo’s heart, as corny as it sounded.

The first step, of course, was getting Wonwoo to actually talk to him again, but that didn’t seem to be changing any time soon. The boys all sat around the table, picking at their breakfast lazily. Jihoon had almost fallen asleep four times within the last fifteen minutes, head bouncing up and down as he tried desperately not to slam face first into his pancakes that had become dreadfully oversaturated in syrup. Noticeably throughout the crowded hall, things had become different between several parties, not just their little group. New couples had been born, and in the same respect, some friendships had definitely dissipated.

Seungkwan and Hansol sat a little closer than they did yesterday, directing most of their conversations to each other, but still did a good job at paying attention to everyone else. When they came to and from breakfast, they held hands in that same shy manner from last night—still nothing short of adorable. Mingyu picked at his own melon cubes, wishing it were him and Wonwoo walking around holding hands all cutely and shyly, though they wouldn’t really be the nominees for the most _adorable_ couple, he thought.

Chan shuddered at Jun’s mere mention of Jiyeon, and it seemed like he was more bothered by her than enthralled like they would’ve figured.

“I thought you guys were a couple now?” Jun teased.           

His eyes squinted and he displayed a look of pure discontent while replying, “I don’t want to talk about it…what happens during festival night…stays in festival night.”

“Now that’s one idea I can get behind,” Jihoon murmured sleepy, barely registering the actual contents of their conversation.

“But she’s so adorable and sweet? Don’t you love girls who wear animal print hair ties in their pigtails and leave pink, sticky, lip-gloss marks all over your cheeks?” Jun further poked at him.

Chan groaned and slapped a face to his forehead.

“Enough, enough, he maybe act like a baby sometimes but he’s not a real one,” Jisoo chimed in to the rescue.

“Exactly! Not all of us came to camp just to get into mushy couple stuff…”

“Oh yeah,” Mingyu noted someone was missing from the table just now, even though they had been sitting there for a good twenty minutes already. “Speaking of mushy couple stuff…where’s Minghao?”

“What does it matter to you?” Jun charged back a little too defensively, earning glares from most of the group.

“Will you relax…?” Soonyoung patted him on the shoulder. Mingyu did not miss Soonyoung’s sudden need to play captain save-a-lot as of late. He smiled at Mingyu strangely before adding on, “Just answer the question. We all want to know where he is, not just Mingyu.”

“Fine,” Jun grumbled, putting his fork down. “If you must know, he was feeling kind of under the weather today, so he decided to get some more sleep.”

“And miss a Sunday full of rewarding camp experiences?” Seungkwan gasped dramatically.

“I think he might be coming down with something,” Jun said rather seriously at that point with a slight frown on his face. Soonyoung caught it immediately and patted him reassuringly on the back, but simultaneously said, “Well…that’s what he gets for letting you touch him…”

The entire table erupted into a messy, chaotic ring of laughter. Soonyoung chuckled vigorously at his own joke while Jun shook his head in aggravation, muttering something under his breath. Even Wonwoo, who had been silent from the break of dawn this morning up until this very moment, was finally showing a trace of energy.

Mingyu tried to smile warmly at him, part of his efforts to change things—make them better, fix things up by the mental blueprint he was constantly writing over—but Wonwoo stared back flatly, turning his attention back to the others promptly. Mingyu felt the rigidness, the frozen block that their relationship had become overnight radiating ice-cold air his way, despite the fact it was just a normal, sweaty day smack dab in the middle of summer.

“I’m surprised you’re all not sick from the amount of sugar you consumed last night,” Jisoo said. “Just look at Seokmin,” he nodded in Seokmin’s direction, who was sitting peacefully—quite unusual for him—and consuming his breakfast as if everyone wasn’t staring lasers at him.

“That’s what happens when you eat so much sugar; it sucks all the energy out of you in one go.”

“Oh please,” Jihoon moaned, finally sitting up straight. His hair was fading day by day, more blonde than anything else nowadays. “You make it seem like sugar has the same effect as alcohol. Seokmin’s probably just quiet cause he’s tired of you always attacking him.”

Seokmin began to laugh lightly before saying, “That’s a good point, but I’m just really tired.” Everyone gasped when they heard the hoarseness of his voice cracking with each word.

“That explains that…” Jisoo snickered, but still gave him a sympathetic look.

“Seokmin! What happened?” Seungkwan stared at Seokmin as if he had just seen him get hit by a car or something.

“I just lost my voice,” he responded weakly, but still wore a bright smile on his face. It was a mystery to Mingyu how he could be happy even without being able to speak properly. “Apparently it’s not wise to sing at the top of your lungs for like…three hours,” he pitched off the top of his head.

“Apparently,” Seungkwan frowned in response.

“Did you lose your voice then too, Wonwoo?” Jihoon asked. Everyone suddenly shifted their attention to the very quiet Wonwoo, who sat in silence, only blinking in response to them.

“No,” He replied dully.

“Were there any developments in your saga last night?” Seungkwan dared to ask him, and Mingyu sat on the edge of his seat, worry and embarrassment and all sorts of feelings mixing up thoroughly in his stomach, and the back of his throated burned in anxiousness.

However, Wonwoo again simply replied, “No.”

“Huh,” Jihoon mumbled, and Soonyoung did almost the same thing. Apparently, more than one person in this Mess Hall was waiting for developments that might never happen. Jihoon gave Mingyu a look of confusion with his weak, tired eyes before shaking his head, probably realizing that Mingyu would have never followed through anyways. Soonyoung on the other hand, wore an empathetic expression. Everyone was exchanging mysterious, odd glances to Mingyu—everyone but the one person he wanted to look at him.

Breakfast came to a close, and everyone departed to the Main Square to see about Sunday’s business. Apparently, Joohyun had some news for the Counselors, and after a week of nonstop prep for the Festival, most were actually dreading to hear what possible soul sucking task she would most likely stick them with next. Mingyu walked slowly on the dirt path, trying to keep in time with Wonwoo who was not far behind, hoping maybe they could end up in the same step, and things could proceed smoothly from there. Each step he purposely walked slower and slower, waiting for Wonwoo to finally sync with him, but when Wonwoo did hit the same step as him, he began to walk faster. 

Mingyu groaned internally, tired of feeling so beat up and dragging himself through the mud for not being faster. He wanted Wonwoo—that much was true—but he just wanted a moment to breath too. As he continued walking, he couldn’t imagine waiting months, years for someone to confess to you or vice versa, or just knowing they liked you and not doing anything back. To him, it sounded like torture, needles pricking at every inch of your skin, dogs barking tirelessly throughout the night without rest…watching the person you like kiss someone else. If only it were as easy as walking from the Mess Hall to the Main Square.

Upon arrival, Joohyun made the quick announcement that week six of the campers’ stay was Counselor Appreciation Week, which didn’t require much extra work on the Counselors parts—this was the one week where they would be rewarded for putting up with kids getting wet paint prints on their t-shirts and running off when they weren’t supposed to. “Throughout the course of this week, we will have many activities centered around Counselor Appreciation, and I hope all of our counselors can realize just how much we cherish all the time they spend working hard for us! Counselors, also be sure to send some appreciation towards your beloved colleagues. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen a few of you doing that already,” she laughed awkwardly.

The children gushed out weak cheers, already lacking appreciation.

“Week Six everyone…in just four short weeks, we’ll be sending our campers home. It may seem far away, but trust me; it passes by in the blink of an eye. Enjoy your day everyone!” Joohyun bid everyone a farewell, jumping down from the makeshift box podium as most kids made their way to the Mess Hall again for more movies—Counselors’ first task of Appreciation week was ironically clearing out the rest of last night’s mess.

Four weeks, Mingyu thought. Joohyun was right—just because it sounded like a good chunk of time didn’t mean it was. Fortunately, this week sounded like a good start. _Counselors appreciating other Counselors…I can do that,_ Mingyu thought positively. He looked over to Wonwoo who stood alone, and gathered some strength. Yes, it was perfect. He could definitely find some activity or thing this week to show Wonwoo the extent of his appreciation.

Wonwoo began to look in every which direction, probably on the look out for Soonyoung so they could clean up together, and his eyes fell upon Mingyu’s.

Once again, Mingyu smiled the most toothy, endearing smile he could gather, but Wonwoo notably sighed and walked away. Okay…so Wonwoo wasn’t going to make it easy. But Mingyu wasn’t going to let himself be bothered by the challenge anymore. _People who shy away from challenges never get what they want._

 

* * *

 

Mingyu’s first plan was easily foiled on Monday morning upon seeing he wasn’t scheduled to have Wonwoo as his partner until Friday. _Okay_ , he thought optimistically, _that still gives me time to find something to give to him before then_. Within the course of a day, he had fully discarded any negative thoughts, crumpling them up and tossing them out of his mind. Despite his newborn confidence,  Wonwoo was still turning the other cheek on him consistently. During walks back and forth from places, at any mealtime, and especially in their cabins, whether it was free time or nighttime. Mingyu figured he was just being stubborn, offering to play cards with him on Monday night, but he readily declined.

Hansol and Chan shot him looks soggy with pity, gladly including him in their game of go fish, but it wasn’t the same. The entire time Mingyu sat on the floor in a circle with the two others, he felt Wonwoo eyes lingering on him. Once Mingyu finally turned around and stared back at him, saying “Are you sure you don’t want to play with us? Cause it seems like you do,” Wonwoo turned his attention back to his book. He also realized that it was the same book Wonwoo had appeared to read three times that summer already.

 _If you’re going to ignore me, at least use something different,_ he thought in annoyance, but shook it off—that attitude wasn’t going to help him.

The same pattern of the silent treatment followed all through Tuesday and half of Wednesday, in which Mingyu finally had the last nerve plucked and pulled apart. The cabin was completely empty during rest hour, save him and Wonwoo, which was a rarity. He considered it some kind of sign to try and salvage their broken relationship before Chan or Jisoo or Jihoon came in crying about something. 

Mingyu’s spoke from his seat on his bed when Wonwoo walked in, “Why are you still avoiding me?” In the most pathetic, pitiful voice he could gather to try and show how desperately sorry he was.

Wonwoo’s first and last words to him that day were, “Now you know how it feels.”

Things took a spiraling leap into a pit of just-how-worse-can-it-get when Joohyun and the other Head Counselors had discovered that a band of counselors were coming down with a surprise wave of the flu—starting with Minghao, who unfortunately needed more than just a few extra minutes of sleep that Sunday, and spreading to other counselors within those three days. And just in time for Counselor Appreciation Week, ironically enough.

Quite frankly, Mingyu was in dire need of a day away from the children and the other counselors , so he tried his hardest to cover his face with his pillow and fake a delicate voice when Jihoon shook him awake Wednesday morning, “Get up, Mingyu. You only have to deal with his for three and a half more weeks.”

“I think I’m coming down with the flu,” he coughed very unconvincingly.

Jihoon sneered at him before ripping the pillow of his head and saying, “We’ve already lost enough counselors to the flu, and we can’t afford to have you sitting around pretending to be sick like a big baby. Why don’t you deal with your heartbreak the same way the rest of us do…by getting up and doing your job, and hoping it’ll just disappear into thin air.”

Mingyu groaned, but knew he had to face the world today, throwing the thin cover off of himself. He got up to go brush his teeth, and wash his face quickly.  Once he returned from the bathroom cabin, he asked the others in puzzlement, “…Where’s Wonwoo? He didn’t go to breakfast yet, did he?” It would seem out of place, considering Wonwoo had been the last one to breakfast all week.

“Oh, no,” Jisoo frowned at him. “You didn’t hear him last night? Hansol and I brought him to the Infirmary Cabin because he wasn’t feeling very hot. He almost threw up on the way,” Jisoo’s eyes widened at the memory, and he shuddered in his spot.

Mingyu pouted in disbelief—imagine being frustrated, on the edge of heartbroken, and on top of all of that, sick with the flu. Now he really had to do something to make Wonwoo feel better. While he sat down for breakfast, he considered bringing him something to do while he was in the infirmary, but he wasn’t sure Wonwoo would want to see him after all he’d done already. _Maybe I should wait until he feels a little better_ …he pondered, _but I can’t not go…he’ll think I don’t care,_ he also reflected. It was a double-edged sword.

Given so many counselors were getting sick, the number hovering around seven now, Mingyu was partnered with both Soonyoung and Yerim today. He could not find it in himself to be annoyed at Yerim anymore, perhaps realizing it was just in her manner to be a brat, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing sometimes. It was too late in the summer to worry about partners, really. Today’s Counselor-centered activity was rather adorable: each Counselor had a shoebox painted and crafted by a random older camper to look like a tree. Inside of the shoebox—like a piggy bang almost—were messages in the shape of apples from campers, sweet little messages of gratitude written in crayon and full of spelling errors. The campers were encouraged to try and do as many as possible—but not too many, they wanted the notes to be genuine. Therefore, the rec cabin was mostly quiet, as the campers sat deep in thought, trying to come up with the perfect way to tell their favorite counselors they were grateful for not ratting them out to Head Counselors regularly.

Mingyu, Soonyoung, and Yerim simply sat as overseers, playing around with a box of Legos as they made sure no one cut themselves with scissors—but obviously, it couldn’t be helped with a group of grade schoolers. “I doubt I’m gonna get any…” Mingyu sighed.

“Don't whine! You’d be surprised how many apples can actually be in there. Last year they did acorns and I got thirty-seven.” Soonyoung pointed out.

“Thirty-seven? There’s only thirty kids on a team…”

“Exactly,” he nodded cheerfully. “You end up getting a bunch of cards from kids you barely know! Someone put one in there saying I was their favorite because they like my hair!”

“Well, sounds to me like that kid couldn’t find anything better to say…and lacks taste,” Yerim muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Hey!” Soonyoung pouted in response. “Anyways, my point is kids like you a lot more than you realize. Someone will compliment you just for being tall despite the fact that has nothing to do with being a good counselor.”

“If being tall was the only qualification for being a good counselor, maybe I would actually be one,” Mingyu laughed sorrowfully.

“Well, not that you’re the _best_ counselor in the world,”  Yerim started, “but you’re not…the _worst_ either.”

Mingyu sent her a wide-eyed look, waiting to see if her face would suddenly contort into laughter, but it never did. “Is…that Kim Yerim complimenting me I hear?”

“Oh shut up,” she groaned. “I said you’re not the worst counselor—which could easily mean you’re the second worst.”

“Who knows, maybe if you give it another summer, you could end up being one of the best. Not every hero was born a hero,” Soonyoung reasoned.

“That’s a good point, but I don’t know if I could really brave another summer here,” Mingyu hadn’t even thought about that. Returning counselors had priority when it came to getting the job again next summer, and although the pay was better than any city job, he could only reflect on the pain a little summer camp—one for kids that he thought would be awful for an entirely different reason—had given him. Even if he did have Wonwoo, he was a year older, and could be planning on being half way around the world for all he knew next summer.

“You say that now, but no one can ever detach from this hell we already live in,” Yerim added. “I thought I wouldn’t come back, but when I got the letter in the mail for reapplication…it was all over.”

“I always knew I would come back,” Soonyoung said contrastingly. “No matter how painful this place can be sometimes, you accidentally end up with another family.”

“Sadly true.”

“Besides! Wonwoo always comes back; who wouldn’t want to miss another summer with him!” Soonyoung gushed, reaching into the tub for more Legos.

“I doubt he’d want to spend another summer with me…”

“There you go again being the biggest human manifestion of self pity. I hope someone puts that on one of your apples. How do you know that if you haven’t even talked to him yet? He literally told you he liked you and you’re sitting acting like you lost the Olympic gold medal by three points.”

Soonyoung tacked himself onto Yerim’s argument, “Agreed. He’s practically drowning in his own miserableness because of you. I wish I was that lucky to have him all upset over me.”

“I’m trying!” Mingyu fired defensively.

Yerim rolled her eyes, “Well try harder. Honestly, I don’t know how you didn’t realize he liked you a long time ago…not that it was obvious, but it wasn’t really buried beneath piles of rocks either.”

“Yeah, even I figured though I didn’t want to admit it.”

“Like that time he made you that get well card and forced all those kids to sign it…whipped…” Yerim chuckled to herself.

Mingyu paused for a moment, stumbling over the words she had just said in an attempt to process them. He vividly remembered that card Wonwoo had brought when he sprained his ankle a few weeks back. It had been the nicest gesture anyone had shown him in a long time, the second one in more recent weeks being the fox that Mingyu had decidedly dubbed 'Mini Wonwoo,' and admittedly, had not slept without a day since receiving it.

“He didn’t force them to make that card,” Mingyu said in a confused, almost challenging tone.

“Yes he did. We had rec that day, and he suggested that we make the card. No, he didn’t threaten to keep the kids from seeing their parents at the end of the summer, but it was his idea.”

“He told me it was their idea…” Mingyu whispered.

“Well, it wasn’t. He was going on and on about you abandoning camp and leaving him behind and all this nonsense. It was so extra,” she shook her head in disapproval at the memory.

“That can’t be true.”

“Oh, it’s true,” Soonyoung nodded, not looking up from his current Lego giraffe creation. “He told me about it when we were swimming in the lake the next day.”

“Did you really think a bunch of twelve year olds have the capability of coming up with something like that? They didn’t even know you sprained your ankle until Wonwoo told them the reason we were making the card.”

Suddenly, the signs were stacking up like books on shelves, an endless array in a library of spine after spine after spine. Mingyu only gazed at his fellow counselors in bewilderment; unable to process that it was Wonwoo’s idea in the first place. He had been doing nice things for him from the start—even making that blinding card just to give him some reassurance that he wasn’t a completely shitty counselor. He realized he was going to need more than an apple in a shoebox to make up for not treating Wonwoo better, not as someone he liked, but as a friend in general.

“And he talks about his dad around you,” Soonyoung added.

“…I thought he did that around everyone.”

“Not really…in fact, Wonwoo rarely ever talks about his dad, period. You have to be some shining beacon of light in his life for him to even mention his dad around you.”

“But…I-“ Mingyu stumbled over his own words, stuck on the same error page of a computer that couldn’t process even after clicking refresh over and over. “But…why?”

Soonyoung held up his arms innocently, “That’s something you have to ask him about yourself.”

 _What I could’ve done if I had known all of this before_ , Mingyu sighed and thought darkly to himself.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Soonyoung stood up, preparing to call time on the activity and dismiss the group, as it was almost time for lunch. Many of the kids groaned, clearly very absorbed and hard at work with their sweet apples of appreciativeness. “Don’t worry guys! You still have other things left this week to show your favorite counselor you love them,” he teased, holding up little mini hearts with his fingers. “You don’t want to miss out on turkey sandwiches, do you now?”

At this, the kids immediately jumped up out of their seats.

“Find the box of the counselors you wrote apples for and stick them inside!” He singsonged.

Yerim also got up to help them.“Let’s go loser. Can’t skip out on meals, especially when the flu is eating this camp alive as we speak!” She reminded Mingyu, shockingly caring of her of all people to say.

All throughout the day, Mingyu felt awful—obviously not as awful as someone with the flu and a case of terrible friendship. Once he returned to the cabin, he sat in the seclusion of his bunk, brainstorming ways of how he would finally apologize to Wonwoo tomorrow. He had a few ideas, and Yerim’s tidbit of information further helped fuel that. It didn’t have to be perfect, he knew that much, but it had to be something genuine.

At the end of the day, a few counselors came around, handing out the tree and apple boxes to each cabin so the counselors could see just how loved they were. Hyejeong happily handed out the six boxes for cabin seven, piling them on their little old coffee table. “We had some heavy ones in this batch…well…as heavy as a box filled with construction paper can be. Have a good night guys!” Hyejeong bid them farewell with a light smile on her face. Mingyu noticed how comfortable and at ease she had been lately. How nice it must have been for someone who was always worried to finally be able to enjoy herself and just let everything go.

All of the boys went to retrieve their boxes, Chan shaking his enthusiastically and saying, “I think I got a good bunch in here!”

Hansol laughed in response and picked up his own.

Jihoon brought over Mingyu’s box to him, and sat down next to him, carrying his own box in his lap. “Hopefully I can beat my record from last year.”

“What’s your record from last year?”

“Forty.” He said proudly.

Mingyu wondered for a moment why Jihoon was being so cordial with him. “Jihoon…why are you actually acting like you don’t hate me for once?”

“Eh,” he shrugged, opening the lid on his tree box. “I figure you’ve suffered enough now that Wonwoo is giving you the cold—no, just plain out ice—shoulder…and I can’t really be a douche to you anymore...you know…since you at least tried.”

“Thanks, Jihoon,” Mingyu smiled half-confusedly at the back handed compliment. “Are you over _him_ already?”

“Of course not. But there’s always next summer, right?”

“You’re considering coming back too?”

“Duh,” Jihoon began to count his apples. From the looks of it, he might just have beaten his record. “This place has helped me pay for music school for the last two years—I’d be dumb to give it up. And after four years of this place…it’s a little hard to get over it, even if there are too many deviant insects. No, I’m not talking about the actual bugs.”

The others in the room announced their own counts gleefully; all indulging in the delightful comments their campers had written them. It almost made dealing with their constant crying and sometimes ungrateful attitudes feel worth it. Mingyu saw Jihoon smile widely—the widest he’d ever seen—at one of his apples.

“How many did you get?”

“This year…forty-eight.”

“That many kids love you?” Mingyu scoffed, eyeing the handful of apples.

“Hey, I find it hard to believe myself.”

In the midst of everything, Mingyu had forgotten to open his own box. He finally proceeded to slid the lid of once Jihoon nodded at it, probably wondering how many he’d gotten too. To add on to today’s burst of unexpected confessions and surprised, the box was full of apples. Mingyu ran his hands through the bunch of began to laugh quietly in disbelief. After counting, he had thirty-nine apples. Not an amazing number next to Jihoon or Jisoo—who had a groundbreaking eighty-seven (he was the Head Counselor of the Music Cabin—after all).

“Hey, looks like you didn’t do so bad yourself,” Jihoon nudged him.

As Mingyu began to read the contents of the apples, he saw many more adoring and deep comments than he expected—as deep as a grade schooler could be. Lots of comments noting his clumsiness but kind qualities, and a handful saying things like they liked his goofy smile, and even that they thought it was super fun and cool when he purposely spilled pudding all over himself. He caught a few basketball compliments, one reading, _'Counselor Mingyu is the best basketball player I’ve ever seen. I hope when I get to be older I can be as good as him.'_ It was amazing how many kids seemed to admire the smallest things.

_'Counselor Mingyu is silly. he meses up a lot but he never hurts our feelings and is really kind. He helpses us cut things and glue.'_

_'Counselor Mingyu is super tall. hhow much milk did he Drink! hes taller than my mommy! i like how tall he is! Teach me How!'_

All of the compliments warmly tugged at his heartstrings, but the one that affected him the most read, _'Counselor Mingyu and Counselor Wonwoo made me see how you’re supposed to be nice to other campers. I'm not mean to Haechan because of them anymore. I want Haechan and me to be best friends forever, just like them.' _The little words written in crayon could have brought him to tears, but the soppy, happy kind you get when you see a family movie with a tender and happy ending.

_I haven’t been such a good friend to Counselor Wonwoo_ _lately, but that’s going to change._

In just a few moments, the call for dinner would be made on the PA system, so Mingyu had no time to waste. He had an extravagant yet simple idea, something that he hoped would help Wonwoo see that not only did he want to be best friends, so much more too. He carefully placed the apples back in the box and capped it, then got up. The door of cabin seven slammed behind him as he raced to the Rec Cabin before its Head Counselor locked it for the night. Perhaps this idea was a little…kindergarten, but that was okay. Mingyu realized the campers had taught him more than he expected, and now he would share some of that unexpected appreciation with Wonwoo.

That night, he set off to work with a handful of colored pencils, markers, crayons, and a busy mind. Even once the others went to bed he still worked on the gift—using Wonwoo’s reading light to work in the darkness that the room had fallen onto. Tomorrow, he still had more to do, but he figured it was a good start. It was time for Mingyu to repay back all of the sweet, job-saving acts, Wonwoo had done for him. No, it couldn’t solely be accomplished with this—it was just the beginning.


	17. The Little Things

After a few hours poured into one special project, Mingyu woke up covered in a bunch of markers and colored pencils. When he went to the bathroom cabin to get ready for hopefully one of the most fulfilling days of his life, he noticed there were ink marks all over his hands, and even a bright purple mark on his cheek.

“Cute,” Soonyoung muttered, spitting toothpaste into the sink. “I take it someone’s been hard at work?”

Mingyu nodded quickly before finishing brushing his own teeth, rinsing his face off, and wiping it with his towel. Though he’d already been there for about six weeks, today felt different—like he really had something to look good for. He played around with the brown strands of his hair in the chipped mirror, moving them to try and settle them into something that looked charming, natural. He heard Soonyoung giggle in the background before focusing back on the task at hand.  

After a few minutes, Soonyoung finished placing his obnoxious lime green sweatband in place and tapped Mingyu on the shoulder. “Bro… You don’t have to spend twenty thousand years in front of the mirror, alright?  You’re already pretty good looking.” He smiled warmly at him in the mirror. It was truly beyond Mingyu how Soonyoung—knowing how he liked Wonwoo himself and was ahead in the race for a while—could easily talk to him like this. 

Mingyu smiled back, but eyed in him strangely in the mirror. “For someone about to probably get his crush stolen from him, you don’t seem very upset.”

Soonyoung scoffed in the poorly lit space of the bathroom cabin before saying, “…Sometimes you just have to know when things aren’t going to work out your favor.” He turned around, back lying against the sinks before adding, “I think…I think someone else-I might get over it soon,” his cheeks lit up endearingly.

Mingyu shot him a surprised look with full eyes before saying, “Really? That fast? Could there be…I don’t know…someone else in mind?”

“There _might_...I think ever since you came along, a bunch of us have been noticing stuff we didn’t before.”

“Huh,” Mingyu blinked. To think that he could change anything about the dynamic of this place was almost as shocking as Wonwoo harboring similar feelings towards him. “Well, whoever it is, hopefully you’ll have better luck this time.” 

Both boys laughed and nodded. “I better get going. It’s a big day, well I mean, not really, but for me I-“

“Yeah, yeah, I got you man. Don’t you dare chicken out last minute! What did you do for him anyways?”

“I’m sure you’ll find out eventually!” Mingyu called as he began to make his way back to cabin seven. On the way back, the campers seemed to be bursting with an odd atmosphere of brightness, filling the air with buckets and buckets of cornily enough: joy and serenity. The sky looked bluer, not the blue you’d see on a blanket wrapped around a baby boy—slightly grim—but a true blue, like the kind you’d see on the wall of a newborn baby’s wall. The wildflowers of the forest were in full bloom, in an assortment of all sorts of pretty colors. The water of the lake looked soft and tranquil, just how Mingyu prayed he would remain the entire day. Despite the unpleasant heat and the never-ending presence of bugs, today’s outlook appeared to be a successfully voyage across a calm sea. And Mingyu wasn’t going to let himself fall into a dark hole of thinking otherwise anymore. Today would be good, because the only way you make something great is by making it great _yourself_.

 

* * *

 

The day didn’t go on as fast as it he hoped it would, but that didn’t add extra doses of worry into his system. He couldn’t find it in himself to take a minute to feel anxious or afraid of Wonwoo’s response; at this point it wasn’t about being his boyfriend—though he wanted that more than he wanted wifi, his own bed, and to win the next championship basketball game—the big focus was currently on being a good friend.

Every time a negative thought would arise in him, he would combat it by quickly thinking of the Little Wonwoo Fox or his appreciative apples. To add on to his feeling of ease, today’s Counselor Appreciation Week activity was less of an artsy and crafty deal: it was Hug Day, the day to give all campers’ favorite counselors wide hugs, and also give them any compliments that were left off of apples or forgotten. Because counselors were still sick in the Infirmary Cabin, they were still going in bigger groups than usual, so today Mingyu was packed in between a Seulgi and Hyejeong sandwich. They appeared to be much closer than ever before since the notorious Midsummer Night’s Festival, perhaps feeding into Hyejeong’s mellower mood these days.

They were currently participating in outdoor play activities of the simplest form, like playing hopscotch or coordinated games of Simon Says. The kids were being extra clingy today, hugging counselors whenever they felt it in their hearts. Mingyu could confidently say by lunch he’d gotten more hugs from those kids than he had from Taehyung in his entire life. 

“I wish Counselor Wonwoo was here too,” Siyeon said in a small voice. “He’s the only counselor from our team I didn’t get to hug today!” Her face displayed a cute but heart-wrenching pout as she stood next to Mingyu and another little camper who had just received big bear hugs. Mingyu had kneeled close to the scorching pavement so he could successfully hug the little sprites back. 

“Me too,” he sighed. “Don’t worry, you can always hug him when he comes back. It’s not like Hug Day is the _only_ day you can hug someone,” he patted her on the head.

“Or,” she started, face glowing with a smile full of shining teeth, eyes filled with the light of idea, “You can take two hugs from me, and give mine to Counselor Wonwoo!”

Mingyu tried to play off the blush spreading across his face, only realizing the kids probably didn’t know about his crush, nor did they care about their Counselors’ weekly slew of school newspaper-worthy gossip. “I guess that sounds like a good idea.”

“Alright,” Siyeon gave Mingyu another adorable hug, then said, “Make sure you give him a really REALLY big hug, like I gave you. No cutting corners!” She pointed out with a strong, bossy gesture, then giggled. “That’s what my mom always says when I try to skip on my vegetables.”

He nodded and replied, “Sure thing kiddo.” _At least now if we hug, I have a valid excuse that doesn’t make me seem all grabby,_ he thought, now standing up taller. The kids ran back to their escapade—a hula-hoop contest in which  Seulgi appeared to be totally killing, spinning and walking with three hula-hoops swinging impressively around her waist. 

By the end of that activity alone, Siyeon’s idea had clearly found its way around the entire group, because a handful of counselors came up to Mingyu asking if he’d give Wonwoo a hug on their behalf too. _Who said these kids don’t gossip, obviously they’ve got their own little system going on here_ , he noticed in shock as he received probably the sixth hug in a row. Yes, it was charming and probably something their parents would gush at the mere sight of, but how was Mingyu going to transfer more than one hug over? 

When they began to make their way to lunch, Seulgi chuckled at him, gathering up the remaining hula-hoops and hanging them up on their spot in the outdoor activity cabin. “Looks like you’ve got a lot of hugging to do tonight. Maybe you can just give him one really long hug.”

“Maybe,” Mingyu laughed as if it were silly to even consider, while also realizing that could work.

He mentally smacked himself, wondering why he was so stressed over hugs! Who said he _actually_ had to give  Wonwoo that many separate hugs? At first he thought he’d just forget it, but then he remembered all those expectant eyes and hands clasped together, their pointy gestures and sure voices, “Counselor Mingyu, you _promise_ you’ll give Counselor  Wonwoo my hug too right?”

He groaned on the path to the Mess Hall while thinking of his cheerful response to every single request. “I promise.” With any luck, Wonwoo was feeling better than the past few days, because he was in for a few hugs. A good old bunch of transferred camper hugs, along with some other equally adorable things. 

 

* * *

  
Lunch, afternoon activities, and dinner all staggered by. By the time Mingyu had a moment to finally see Wonwoo, it was growing darker and darker, as if someone were pulling down a giant, dark shade and covering up the beautiful daylight sky. Friday was still the typical campfire festivity night, so Mingyu was sure no one would be interrupting his time with Wonwoo in the Infirmary. He began to gather up his things from the cabin so he could make his way down now. Jisoo, Hansol, and Chan had already left to the campfire. 

“Aren’t you going too?” Mingyu asked Jihoon, scooping up the few things he was planning on bringing to Wonwoo. Worry edged him a bit, but a heartfelt flurry, the lovey-dovey kind, floated around like bubbles popping inside of him. 

“Yeah, in a little bit though,” Jihoon responded back. He was currently wiping down his guitar with a cloth, and Mingyu saw him give it a look of awe, something he’d never seen him give to a real person. Well, _one_ person, actually.

“I better get going before it gets to late…what if he’s not even awake? What if he’s still really sick and can barely open his eyes?” Mingyu said, walking into a sudden net of fear.

“You’ll never know if you don’t go,” Jihoon pointed out. “Good luck,” he added in a low, whispery kind of voice.

“Thanks, Jihoon. Have fun at the campfire.”

“There’s no such thing as having fun there, but I’ll try,” he laughed sarcastically. In the same instant, someone knocked on the cabin door lightly. 

“Come in,” Mingyu called. 

When the door opened, Soonyoung was the one unexpectedly standing there. He looked a little dazed, but overall was still beaming. “Hey Mingyu. I just came to see if you needed help carrying stuff over to Wonwoo. Don’t want you to trip and drop all your stuff in the mud…You do have a clumsy history,” he teased, punching Mingyu lightly in the arm.

“It’s okay,” he assured Soonyoung. “I do have a few things, but I think I’ll make it safely the entire way. Thanks for offering though.” There was a bit of a heavy tension settling in the room, what with Jihoon awkwardly shuffling on his bed, obviously trying not to look at Soonyoung. Mingyu guessed he still wasn’t over him, and how could he be? Even if he wanted to, it was nearly impossible to get over someone overnight. 

Soonyoung, however, was the one that really confused Mingyu. His cheeks were unusually pink, not that they weren’t always tinged, but for some reason, it was deeper than normally. He seemed to blink too much or not enough, in an irregular trance of some sort as he casually tried to smile at Mingyu.

Mingyu looked at both of them back and forth, noticing their eyes were flying all over the place, looking in every direction except for each other’s. He wanted to laugh, though he realized he’d had plenty of moments like this himself, so he simply said, “I’m gonna go now. Soonyoung, you should walk over to the campfire with Jihoon.”

Jihoon began to nod ‘no’ frantically out of Soonyoung’s plane of vision, but Mingyu just gave him a reassuring glance that said he knew what he was doing. “Maybe Jihoon can tell you about how he got to be such a great singer despite hating singing in front of all of us.”

“Alright,” Soonyoung agreed in an optimistic tone. “I don’t see why not. See you later, Mingyu.” 

Whether the next glance Jihoon gave Mingyu was one of gratitude or immense anger, Mingyu couldn’t currently decipher, nor did he have time to. He simply gave him a toothy grin before collecting the last of the belongings and exiting into the welcoming night air.

The entire walk, Mingyu tried to keep his frazzled nerves at bay by thinking of all the wonderful things Wonwoo had done for him thus far. Little Wonwoo Fox, the orange card from spraining his ankle, the tips he gave him for counseling, and by the time he reached the Infirmary Cabin, he felt much more stable and ready to go through with everything. Taking a deep breath, he stared at the stars in the sky outside one last time. He heard campers and counselors singing in the distance with loud, unforgiving voices full of life, which served to bring some energy to him. So Camp Joyrenity wasn’t so bad after all. He knocked on the door of the Infirmary Cabin, waiting for the nurse to help him out since he carried an abundance of things, and made one last promise to himself. He was not going to leave that cabin until things were fixed, at least not until Nurse Sohee threatened to kick him out.

She greeted him with a welcoming smile and said, “I take it you’re here to see Counselor Wonwoo?”

Mingyu nodded, walking in. There were still a few others in the cabin, and sadly, that included campers who had fallen ill too. The only thought worse than sick adults were helpless, shivering little children without their parents to guide them through the flu with chicken soup and bedtime stories. Each bed had a curtain pulled around it though, so everyone at least had their own privacy. The two sick campers seemed to be in good spirits despite illness, slowly powering through a card game at the table in one end of the cabin with a sick female counselor, Dohye. 

“He’s in the last cot in the far right corner,” Nurse Sohee advised him. 

“Is he feeling any better?”

“As far as his health goes, he should be good for Monday. But I don’t know,” she shook her head full of orange hair that hadn’t faded at all the last couple of weeks. “It seems like something other than the flu is bothering him. If it doesn’t stop, it’s only going to take longer for him to get better.”

Mingyu sighed knowing all too well the reason for that. “Oh. Maybe I can figure out was it is and fix it, so he can get better faster.”

“Hopefully,” she grinned back, before proceeding checking on someone who sounded like they were about to cough their entire left lung out.

All fears and doubts aside, Mingyu pulled back the light blue curtain around Wonwoo’s cot just a little, enough for him to notice that someone was coming to see him. Wonwoo was lying in his cot, reading what appeared to be some sort of medical guide with hazy eyes. Mingyu couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Luckily he brought along something he thought Wonwoo would much rather read. He coughed quietly, and within a moment, Wonwoo’s weak glance met his. 

His facial expression was rather bland for a moment, but Mingyu figured he could credit that to the flu, and after a second, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards a little.

“Hey,” Mingyu said dryly, trying his hardest to sound more optimistic and full of resolve. He couldn’t crumble now when he was just starting. “Feeling better?”

Wonwoo nodded his head ‘yes’ lightly, almost a robotic bob up and down. 

The invisible threads of tension slowly formed between them wrapped Mingyu’s neck, tugging as they stared uncomfortably at each other. The iciness in Wonwoo’s look was rather unsettling, almost as if he didn’t know who he was looking at. Mingyu pulled up the stool at the edge of the curtain and sat down next to Wonwoo’s cot. In attempts to thaw the rigidness of his stare, he spoke up to say, “I brought you some stuff. I figured it’s probably pretty boring while you’re awake; I mean, it was when I was here.”

Wonwoo sat up straighter in expectant silence in his wrinkled pajamas. He looked vulnerable under the coldness of his current state, more vulnerable than the sick children in the infirmary—more weak and afraid despite being more grown and probably having suffered through this alone before. 

The first thing Mingyu pulled out was the gift he worked hard on, smiling as he stared at the cover himself. The work was worth the ink marks all over his hands and the slight loss of sleep last night. He plopped the card onto the bed, and it was so large that it covered up most of Wonwoo’s lap.

Wonwoo stared at his first in confusion, waiting for Mingyu to say something more, but all Mingyu did was nod in the direction of the card.

Wonwoo picked it up hesitantly, like it was a trap gift about to burst into flames and bring the whole infirmary down. He took a moment to read the cover, and within seconds, Mingyu watched his poker face meld into such an pleased look that it could’ve exploded him from the inside out. He appeared to reread the cover over and over mentally, then finally opened it up to read the inside contents. Wonwoo absorbed every heartfelt word from Mingyu’s card, taking a deep breath as he carefully continued down the words of the first page. His words were written into what appeared to be a large apple drawn in colored pencil—an appreciative apple.

 

_Dear Wonwoo,_

  
_I know I’ve been the biggest jerk alive lately, and I wish I could say it’s cause I like you so much, but I know that’s not a valid excuse. Besides the fact that you’re the coolest person I’ve met in the long time, and that you’re kinda my best friend here…I can’t help but like you more than that. I’m so bad at feelings and stuff…I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you I liked you back before. It’s the only thing I’ve wanted to say for weeks, but something about you makes it feel impossible. Sorry for being a bad friend, sorry for ignoring you, sorry for not telling you how much I appreciate your help. I don’t even deserve to have you as a friend, never mind a boyfriend, but I really hope you’ll consider it. I don’t want to just leave here and forget we were ever friends. If you agree to try things out with me…I promise I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll tell you I like you out loud 9000 times a day if you want. I’ll read every book you’ve read just so we can talk about them together. I’ll give you my extra cookies on Thursday nights…anything. Even if you don’t want to be together that way anymore…I hope we can still be friends. I also hope you get better really soon, cause activities and lunch and even playing cards at night isn’t the same without you. And I’m not the only one that thinks so…_

 

The next page of the card brought Wonwoo’s face into a look of further amazement; if he was happy before, he was swimming in delight now. His smile graced his face without restraint as he looked at the next page—the names of all of the remaining counselors on Team C, the ones in cabin seven, even their friends from their little Mess Hall group, along with bunches and bunches of camper names, were scribbled all in various ways across the next page. There were also various messages wishing Wonwoo well, just like the card he’d help prepare a few weeks ago himself. Wonwoo smiled rather shyly now, looking at the signatures on the back of the card too. “You didn’t have to do this…”

“Anything else seemed too plain. You kind of deserve the best apology in the world, and I still don’t think the card was good enough.”

Wonwoo laughed while giving him the first warm look—raw, friendly look between the two of them they’d had in ages. 

“I’m sorry, Wonwoo,” Mingyu said aloud now. It was one thing on paper, but sometimes, sincerity is best felt through spoken word.

Wonwoo gave him an accepting nod before saying, “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have ignored you the way you ignored me…that age old corny saying…don’t fight fire with fire.”

“I was running higher than Jihoon-level-jerk; I think I deserved it,” Mingyu scratched the back of his neck and laughed. Now that things were beginning to melt into the state of familiar comfortableness—in a new way, of course—Mingyu still had other things to present to Wonwoo. “Oh, take these things too. Hold on.”

He first gave Wonwoo his box of appreciative apples, since he hadn’t gotten the chance to read them yet. 

Wonwoo’s smile never left his face while he reached in the box and read through a few of them, deciding he would save the rest for when after Mingyu left. 

“How many did you get?” Mingyu asked curiously. 

“…Forty-eight.” 

“Good. You deserve all of them.” 

“Not to show favoritism, but,” Wonwoo started, then coughed a little, “I think my apple from Counselor Mingyu was my favorite.” 

Mingyu grinned freely along with a blush that invaded his cheeks and made him feel more vulnerable than Wonwoo when he walked in here. 

“By the way, when you get better, you have about sixteen transferred hugs waiting for you to receive,” he mentioned stiffly, “ from me. But I’ll tell you about that later. I have two more things left for you.”

Next, Mingyu picked up the little stuffed dog he had set on the ground so Wonwoo wouldn’t see it straight away. By the looks of it, since he was still pretty sick and his eyes watered every so often, he probably couldn’t make it out anyways. The stuffed dog had mismatched ears and a brown spot over his eye, but was pretty much entirely white. “I asked Joohyun if she had any stuffed animals left over from the festival.” He handed the stuffed dog over gently, as if it were a small child in need of the upmost fragile and delicate care. “You can just…put him on your windowsill when you get home or something.”

“Thanks,” Wonwoo said with the most sincerity his cracking voice could offer. “Dogs are your favorite, aren’t they?”

Mingyu’s cheeks reddened again, then he responded, “You remembered." While Wonwoo began to pat the stuffed dog lovingly like it were a real pup, Mingyu said, “Speaking of remembering, here’s the last thing.” He handed over the book Wonwoo had read three times that summer alone, with its frayed edges and pages starting to yellow already. “I figure since you’ve read it so many times before you’d probably want something to read while you’re getting better.”

At this, Wonwoo seemed to shift oddly in his cot, but took the book at once. “Thanks, Mingyu. For all this stuff. You really didn’t have to bring it all here just to apologize.”

“But I wanted to. By the way…why do you like that book so much? I know people have favorites and everything, but reading it three times in one summer…you must really love it.”

Wonwoo hesitated for a split second, making Mingyu wonder if he should’ve bothered asking. He tapped on the cover of the book, gathering his thoughts and closing his eyes that started to burn a bit, probably in need of a little rest again. Mingyu didn’t want to pressure him to saying whatever it is he had to say, so he sat up straight and patiently waited for a response. Things were working out well thus far, and he’d be damned if a book was going to ruin tonight’s progress like a construction project canceled in the middle just because the boss carelessly decided he had better things to invest in.

Dropping sound into a river of silence, Wonwoo started, “It was my dad’s favorite book.” He seemed pained to say it, but that expression quickly subsided and smiled. This was exactly what Soonyoung was talking about yesterday, Mingyu realized himself. “Every time I read it, I try to think of new reasons why it was his favorite. It’s a pretty amazing book, so I do find a new reason every time.”

Even without saying anything, Mingyu could sense the obvious weight taking about his father Wonwoo was carrying, and the reason didn’t have to be said in words. “How many times have you read it in total? I bet I could find some reasons too if I read it,” he said positively, trying to lighten up Wonwoo’s soggy mood.

“Seven or eight, I’ve started to lose track these days,” Wonwoo laughed, but there was still some authenticity missing from that. 

“I guess it…really sucks, doesn't it? Most people have two parents to depend on at home, but we only have one,” Mingyu began cautiously, but proceeded because he remembered one key thing. This was the _one_ thing that no one else in  Joyrenity would be able to understand but the two of them. “At least…you’ll always have those things about him that you can remember. When I was six, my dad gave me this little basketball. It’s really small,” Mingyu mimicked the shape with his fingers, not even bigger than the palm of his hand. “That was before I started playing. Anyways, my dad loved basketball all of his life, and he gave me that and told me I had to grow up to be a basketball prodigy. Even if he doesn’t care anymore…about any of us…I still keep that basketball on my bedside table. I guess it’s just the little things that make us happy, right?” Mingyu glanced empathetically at him. 

Wonwoo did the same in response, “I guess so.... I think he…my dad…he would’ve thought you were awesome. I feel like he wished he had a son more like you,” He smiled as the words left his mouth. “My dad was an all around guy and he loved lots of things—reading the most. He made me go to Joyrenity in the eighth grade so I could get better at sports and outdoorsy stuff but it didn’t work. Realized he was going to end up with a carbon copy of himself…a reader. He could still kinda end up with a son who can actually play sports though.”

The thought in itself doesn’t make Mingyu blush or nervous, it made him…just plain overflow with joy. To think Wonwoo liked him that much _that_ he could say something like that as if it were nothing; it made him truly believe that night, although things in life are never perfect, there are always little things to fill in spaces that become empty over time. Eventually, you _can_ get full. That, along with  Wonwoo’s smile—and the fact that somehow within those few minutes, the two boys had unknowingly linked fingers and were casually holding hands. Maybe it was just their bonding moment over the saddest aspect of their lives bringing them so close they needed comfort they could physically feel, but whatever the reason was, Mingyu cherished it. Wonwoo’s hand wasn’t super soft, in fact they felt a little edge of roughness, but that was okay. It was a little sweaty too, but he was still clearly suffering signs of sickness. Even so, Mingyu didn’t care. He was holding Wonwoo’s hand, and there were few things in this world that could be better than this jewel of a moment—almost all also involving Wonwoo.

“I bet I would’ve liked your dad too,” Mingyu finally responded, voice surging with earnestness. With Wonwoo sitting there peacefully, finally feeling able to talk about his dad without growing uncomfortable to the point where he couldn’t even sit next to Mingyu, warmed him so much that it was blazing and scorching sparks in his heart. His hair was pretty unkempt from being ill and he wasn’t looking full of life—as full of life as Wonwoo could look on a normal day—but his cheeks burned lovably and cutely. If it wasn’t such a tender moment about something so sensitive, Mingyu could’ve finally leaned in and given Wonwoo the kiss he had been dying to all summer, even if it meant he would get the flu too. However, now wasn’t really the time; he knew that much. He was fine holding his hand and having his hand held in return with a weak grasp, and looked forwarded to a stronger one when Wonwoo was feeling better.

Time passed in silence as Wonwoo sat back in his cot, with the two of them still holding hands, and Wonwoo was beginning to drift off into the unavoidable world of sleep. Mingyu was somewhat delighted at the sight of Wonwoo’s serene sleeping face, and the fact that they were still holding hands. 

Out of nowhere, his voice piped up. “About the boyfriend thing…I’ll have to sleep on it.” It sounded teasing even in a whisper, filling Mingyu’s stomach with a wave of sweet butterflies.

“Alright,” he responded. Still, they did not separate hands. 

Wonwoo fell asleep for real now, and Mingyu figured he should get ready to go check what was happening in the outside world, aka the rest of camp. However much time passed, he couldn’t make out. All he knew was that he made up with Wonwoo and things had become clearer than someone’s vision after years of not being able to see properly, finally being blessed with the miracle and gift of sight. Sure, they were made up now, but Mingyu didn’t want to be that creep who sat there and watched him sleep for more than a minute. He fixed Wonwoo’s cover, and before he detached their hands, he thought about the first kiss he had yet to have. A few weeks ago, the prospect of kissing Wonwoo seemed distant—like an isolated island unable to be reached by plane, boat, swimming, anything. But now that he was here, holding Wonwoo’s hand so comfortably and nonchalantly, it seemed right around the corner. Not even a five-minute walk away. A day so far away—the day where him and Wonwoo knew for a fact they liked each other and perhaps they’d end up being much more for who knew how long. 

Suddenly, he picked up Wonwoo’s hand just a little so he wouldn’t wake him up, and gave it a little kiss. His heart and mind desired much more than a petty little kiss on the hand, but who was he kidding? It was true that Mingyu was tired of waiting, but for Wonwoo, he knew he could wait just a little more. He would wait weeks, months for Wonwoo feeling the way he did right now if he had to. What harm could a little more waiting do?


	18. Like Nothing in this World

Counselor Appreciation Week may have been over, but the Head Counselors had a special treat prepared for the counselors on Saturday over at the lake. Mingyu, still drifting in his own world knowing things between Wonwoo and him were patched up and cleanly mended, decided to skip out in favor of keeping Wonwoo company in the last stretch of his flu recovery. That—along with the fact that Wonwoo hadn't answered his question yet—was a pesky bug gnawing at him all night while he tried to sleep, and throughout breakfast. 

He impatiently picked at his food, thinking of Wonwoo sitting alone in the Infirmary. One the bright side, at least now he had his favorite book for comfort, if he was even awake at that. 

“I can’t believe you’re going to miss the free snow cones just to go play boyfriend with Wonwoo!” Seokmin gasped in a tone that made it seem like finally making up with your best friend paled in comparison to ice with sugary liquid.

“It’s about time,” Seungkwan said contrastingly. “Now Hansol and I don’t have to be the only couple in the group.” Hansol blushed, but did nothing to stop Seungkwan when he smiled at him and nudged his shoulder.

“Uh…do we not exist?” Jun coughed loudly. Minghao, seeming unfazed by anyone else’s opinion on their relationship, kept on eating his breakfast like he hadn’t heard a thing.

“You guys have been together for like a year, technically, so you don’t count,” Seungkwan contested. 

Ignoring Jun and Seungkwan’s immediate squabbling, Minghao looked at Mingyu with sincerity shining in his eyes and said, “I'm glad everything worked out, _and_ no one died in the process.”

Mingyu nodded, smiling when he remembered the chat he’d had with Minghao not too long ago ago about facing their fears no matter the outcome. Sure, it took Minghao less time than him, and he wasn’t _actually_ Wonwoo’s boyfriend yet, but they had done it. Something in the water at Joyrenity must’ve spurred courage in recent times.

“Well,” Mingyu started hesitantly, leading the group to quickly let out a collective sigh. “I asked him indirectly yesterday. He told me he’d sleep on it.”

“Yikes. What if you go in there and he says no?” Seokmin pointed out. 

Honestly, Mingyu hadn’t even considered that option. He just figured he’d go in there and Wonwoo would start talking about the book or something that he dreamed about and eventually open the gates to his one wish. It totally slipped his mind that Wonwoo could still say no. His stomach turned, the food he’d already consumed mixing up with sparks of worry, vigorously churning as he began to bite his nails.

“Relax,” Soonyoung patted him comfortingly on the back. “I bet he just wanted to think of a nice way to accept your offer after the nice stuff you did for him…you _did_ do nice stuff for him right?”

“What else would I have done? It’s not like I brought him a wild frog and told him that we could take care of it together.”

“Actually,” Seokmin chimed in, “if someone confessed to me like that, I’d totally accept.”

“Of course you would,” Jisoo rolled his eyes.

Breakfast soon ended, dismissed by a gleeful voice on the intercom. The others got up, heading back to their cabins to prepare for a day of chugging snow cone after snow cone at the lake, the last ‘unofficial’ treat of Counselor Appreciation week. Once Mingyu ran back to cabin seven to grab a few activities for a day in the stuffy Infirmary, he noticed Jihoon was in a mood a little too fluffy to be a true _Jihoon_ mood. However, asking about it could put him on the receiving end of a slap, so he figured he’d save his chances for later. Now that he and Wonwoo were made up, there was no one else he wanted to waste another minute around.

Upon arrival, Mingyu saw that most of the current inhabitants of the Infirmary Cabin were feeling much better themselves, already gearing up to head back to their own proper cabins. 

Nurse Sohee wasn’t at all stunned to see him again that morning, greeting him with a fair nod and adding, “I think Wonwoo’s doing a little better today. Hopefully he’ll be out tomorrow!” She flashed two thumbs up, and Mingyu felt like a parent receiving a status report on one of his sick children.

Pulling back Wonwoo’s privacy current, he was met with the warmest possible sights, sending a wave of delight coursing throughout his body, flowing like the fuel of innocent teenage love. Wonwoo was flipping through his book—it appeared he had certain pages bookmarked—and while it was great to seem him enjoying himself, Mingyu’s heart soared high above his head and through the roof of the Infirmary Cabin because Wonwoo had the little stuffed dog tucked under his arm. 

Ignoring Mingyu’s mouth hanging open and flushed cheeks, he casually said, “Oh, hey Mingyu. I was just looking over one of the best passages of this book.”

Quickly snapping out of his trance, Mingyu responded, “I’m glad. No offense to Nurse Sohee, but that medical guide you were reading yesterday looked so boring. I brought some stuff for us to do today…By the way, did you give the stuffed dog a name yet?”

Wonwoo looked the dog over for a moment before shaking his head no. “What did you name the fox? Maybe that’ll give me an idea.”

Face reddening deeper, he quietly said,” Uh…I might have named him…Little…Wonwoo…”

In response, Wonwoo glared oddly at him before softening up his look and replying, “Okay. Then I’ll name him Little Mingyu. I guess it’s a little corny, but we can just be one of those corny couples.”

Hearing the word, Mingyu shifted in his seat, assuming he heard wrong. _Wonwoo didn’t really agree, did he?_ He held in a breath, asking, “…C..couple?” mentally preparing himself for Wonwoo to punch him on the shoulder and say he was just kidding.

“That’s what you wanted right?”

He nodded up and down cautiously.

“Good. Cause that’s what I wanted too,” Wonwoo smiled at him. Even with traces of illness still in his system, Mingyu couldn’t help but see the Wonwoo he’d known all summer and grew to love more and more each day. “I wonder what they others will think when they finally find out we’re boyfriends now.”

“Yeah. Us. _Boyfriends_ ,” Mingyu repeated, grinning hard while simultaneously trying not to look like he was wearing a plaster mask. The word 'boyfriend' in correlation to the two of them sounded so foreign on his tongue, but pleasant. Truthfully, he didn’t care what anyone else thought, all that mattered was that this was real—a dream come to fruition, a wish that had worn out the shooting stars in the sky, hope finally chiseled into reality. “I don’t think we’ll be a more adorable couple than Hansol and Seungkwan though, and Jun and Minghao are the chill, relaxed one, so you’re right. We’ll just have to settle on being the corny couple at Joyrenity.”

“Deal,” Wonwoo lightly laughed, sending sparks of adoration towards Mingyu, who absorbed them wholeheartedly. As if they were already swimming in each other’s inner thoughts, they reached for each other’s hands at the same moment, connecting just like last night. Wonwoo played with Mingyu's hand for a little before reconnecting, saying, “As long as we’re together, I don’t care what kind of couple we get called.”

Though Mingyu didn’t say it aloud, he couldn’t agree more. “Do you want to start with Monopoly or Life, _boyfriend_?” he said dramatically, leading Wonwoo to groan but laugh again. “I brought Clue too, but since it’s just the two of us, we can’t really play alone. I figured we could get some of the others to play if they’re feeling up for it… _boyfriend_ …” He smirked at Wonwoo.

“Don’t push it!”

“I know, I know, I’m just…” Over the moon, ecstatic, higher than the clouds and far beyond earth at this point. There weren’t enough words—words good enough to describe the joy beaming off of Mingyu at this point. All that suffering was now a tiny slip of paper crumpled up and thrown in the trash bin. Perhaps—no, he should’ve _definitely_ gone through with this sooner, he thought. “…I’m just really happy.”

“I’d be worried if you weren’t.” Wonwoo poked at him.

For the remainder of the day, they went through game after game. Mingyu lost the Game of Life several times, ending up with a two cars full of children, but got back on his feet and had a brilliant win streak during Uno. Surely the others were having the time of their lives drowning in snow cones like they didn’t have work the next day. Even so, Mingyu knew this was the place to be—holding Wonwoo’s hand, playing stupid games with him, hearing his melodious, beautiful laugh fill the confined space of the cabin, joking and chatting like nothing had even changed; this day topped all preceding ones at Joyrenity by miles.

Still, something was missing: their celebratory first kiss as an official couple. While Wonwoo had recovered a great deal over the last few days, it wasn’t exactly the best bet to kiss him right now. It was certainly attacking Mingyu’s mind like leeches on a vicious trip for blood, but he did have a job and a responsibility to not get sick if he could prevent it. The boys mentioned something about the Camp Games coming up at breakfast, and as much as he wanted to pull Wonwoo—sitting so peacefully with his legs crossed on the bed—into a long awaited kiss, wondering day after day what it would be like, he didn’t want to miss out on the Games, which would offer lots more fun for him and Wonwoo together than being cooped up in the Infirmary ever would.

For now, Mingyu reasoned to find a better moment later when Wonwoo was fully recovered. _After all, people always say your first kiss is supposed to be like…spontaneous, right?_ He thought as he watched Wonwoo shuffle the deck of cards. Where was the fun in something so crafted?

Soon, Mingyu would have to return back to cabin seven and deal with the nonstop ramblings of Chan and Hansol, whatever mood Jihoon was wading in, and Jisoo’s complaints, so he savored this moment, grabbing Wonwoo’s hand once more. There was no rush; they only had two weeks left at Joyrenity, and he intended to make them the best two weeks of both him and Wonwoo’s summers. Before he could pull Wonwoo’s linked hand towards him again, he felt his being tugged in Wonwoo’s direction. 

Wonwoo gave him a sweet, tiny kiss on the hand, just as he had not even twenty-four hours prior, and intended to do himself.

“How did y-you…but I was-“

“I pay more attention than you think,” Wonwoo winked, then dealt them each the designated amount of cards with his free hand. “Now, let’s get through a few more games before you have to go.

Mingyu had to stop himself from letting out one of the most content sighs he was holding in his chest, gripping Wonwoo’s hand lightly in response.

Once the game was all set, Wonwoo he gave him a weird glance, kind of like a look he would’ve given him before everything in the previous weeks had happened. Boy did it feel good to have him back in general. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing important,” he shrugged off in a bold faced lie. Maybe he could’ve said it and ending the waiting now, but Mingyu wanted his first kiss to be something to remember, as cliché as it sounded, and the wooden walls and strictly sterile scent of the Infirmary Cabin weren’t providing the most romantic atmosphere. A jewel like Jeon Wonwoo had just proven, once again, he deserved better than to have his first kiss with his new boyfriend in a place where the sick resided.

 

* * *

 

Wonwoo’s return to the cabin brought an unusual wave of joy from the rest of the cabin, which was rather odd considering Mingyu was the only one who was really friends on that level with him. Nonetheless, they greeted him happily and quickly began to chat up all of the recent developments, all while amazingly ignoring the fact that Mingyu and Wonwoo were holding hands right in front of their eyes—the development most of them had been nosily anticipating for weeks completely flying over their heads.

“Seokmin had seven snow cones and I swear to god, by the time we left the lake, he had this crazed look in his eyes,” Chan shuddered. 

“Doesn’t he always look like that though?” Jihoon laughed at this own horrific comment, earning a thick glare from everyone, even Jisoo, who Mingyu expected to laugh too.

“You guys really missed out, they had these insane flavors like strawberry banana,” Hansol informed them. 

“You’re just happy because you and Seungkwan were all flirty and sharing snow cones. If you’re already acting like this now, please don’t invite me to your wedding reception,” Jisoo muttered. “It’s a good thing Seungkwan isn’t in this cabin because I don’t think I’d be able with you two being all lovey-dovey and 'pretend' shy.”

“Look like you’re going to have to deal with another couple instead,” Jihoon nodded at Mingyu and Wonwoo’s tightly holding hands while they sat on Mingyu’s bunk. “…Have you guys finally…?”

“Yup,” Wonwoo nodded promptly, and Mingyu wished he had done the same faster. He wanted everyone in cabin seven, on his team, in this entire camp to know how thrilled— even a little proud—he was that they were finally a couple.

“You guys aren’t cuter than Seungkwan and Hansol,” Chan chucked at Mingyu’s screen of bliss swiftly, but he was so high right now that the comment simply deflected. 

“Why would anyone want to be Mingyu’s boyfriend?” Jisoo shook his head, turning back to his own business.

Jihoon also had some less than positive but not at all surprisingly words to throw in, “Huh. I thought it would be more exciting to see after waiting six weeks. You guys look the same as before only holding hands.”

“What, should we have grown six limbs and four feet after declaring ourselves a couple?” Mingyu argued a little too fiercely.

“That isn’t what I meant, but good for you buddy,” Jihoon finally admitted. 

He then recalled that he meant to ask Jihoon what went down with Soonyoung after he left on Friday night, but shrugged it off when Wonwoo suddenly released their hands, instead laying his head gently on Mingyu’s shoulder. It was unexplainably wonderful, filling Mingyu with a sea of pure, raw warmth instantaneously, like it belonged there. _Who cares if no one else thinks we’re a cute couple_ , Mingyu thought silently, relishing this simple moment. _Nothing—no one—is going to take away from being the best thing that’s happened all summer._


	19. The Cheesiest Prize

Just as the boys had informed Mingyu on Saturday morning, Joohyun announced the commencement of the Camp Games starting the following Monday. The Camp Games pinned all ten teams against each other through daily competitions, and the team with the least amount of accumulated points at the end of the day was eliminated. They may have sounded easy-going and lighthearted, however, Mingyu quickly learned they were anything but—he should’ve expected nothing less. The others pretty much shrugged off the announcement of their new relationship, telling Mingyu things like, _'we knew he would say yes anyways,'_ and, _'the Camp Games are way more important though,'_ so at least he didn’t have their negativity or harsh opinions to worry about.

When day one rolled around, Team C was nearly on brink of being eliminated due to lack of efforts on the Counselors’—including his—part, causing uproar from the campers. To be fair, he was more focused on Wonwoo than the relay race or jump rope contest. 

Because of the pressure placed on the Counselors’ already heavy backs, they got it together, and by the end of the week Team C was thriving in the top three. Saturday would be the last day of the games, the decider of who would win another year’s worth of bragging rights and the secret prize the Head Counselors had in store. The competition grew more ridiculously rigorous every day, with kids literally crying over spilt milk and cracked eggs. While the games raged on, Mingyu found keeping Wonwoo’s attention all week to be no struggle at all. His competitors were gone, his target was secured, and all that was left was the grand prize: the kiss.

Everyone had their game face on and their focus shifted into a single lane today, each camper on Team C more than ready to claim their mysterious prizes once they finally won. Their teamwork had been impeccable all week, and Mingyu was glad Wonwoo and him had made up before then, because honestly, after seeing Team F’s huge failure on Tuesday due to inner team conflict, they wouldn’t have been able to survive it—or the backlash their campers would give them. Seungkwan whined he was still getting insulted by his campers everyday for letting their precious egg fall to the ground.

Team C had just beat out Team E in the morning events: the sack race, an odd tree climbing activity that probably could’ve landed a lot of people with broken ankles, a few others, but most importantly: the three-legged race. The team had begged Wonwoo and Mingyu to pair up together and take one for the team, so they ran awkwardly, stumbling in a fit of laughter all the way to the far end of the designated field and back, tripping over their own feet because Mingyu ran faster than Wonwoo, being a basketball player and all. Everyone filled the air with cheers and triumphant whoops when they returned, red-faced and sweating. The campers patted their backs and told them it was alright, not to worry, and a bunch of other inspirational phrases that didn’t fit the mouths of children, as if _they_ were the counselors encouraging others to move forward, a strange action that had occurred many times during the games.

Before they could continue on and crown a victor to the tiring Games, the groups all settled outside for lunch. The weather was pleasant and stable enough for everyone to sit on old blankets and enjoy sandwiches without complaining too much. 

Mingyu sat with Wonwoo their own personal blanket, stretched out and taking up the entire space. While they ate and chatted with others on the team, Mingyu soaked in how right everything felt. Sadly, there were only two weeks left, and now that he was constantly with Wonwoo again, he couldn’t bear the thought of them being separated again, this time by miles and miles, not just a few feet—a cabin away.

“I can’t believe we made it this far in the games!” One of the older female campers—Sejeong, said, voice overflowing with pride. “Last year, my team lost on the second day!”

“That’s because we have Counselor Mingyu on our team this year. He’s really good at sportsy stuff,” another, Miyoung, pointed out, causing Mingyu to laugh quietly in slight embarrassment. The apples were one thing, but it was even more alien to hear them compliment him like a hero out loud.

“Counselor Wonwoo’s pretty good at sportsy stuff too, I think,” the two girls went back in forth in a full blown discussion, deciding that the worst counselor in terms of physical activities was Hyejeong—not shockingly enough, since she ended up crying four times in the course of the week. What really surprised Mingyu was not the campers saying him and Wonwoo were the best in the three-legged race, but what came after.

“Do you think because Counselor Mingyu and Counselor Wonwoo are boyfriends is how they got so good at doing races together?”

“Maybe I should get a boyfriend from my team next year!” Miyoung squealed.

Mingyu could only stare at Wonwoo in astonishment, feeling the need to question if he had heard that correctly.

Wonwoo, however, was much faster and swifter with his words, asking, “How do you guys know me and Counselor Mingyu are boyfriends, huh? What if we’re _not_?”

Sejeong blinked her eyes, matter-of-factly stating, “My mommy told me when someone stares into someone else’s eyes all the time and holds their hand, and does lots of hugging with them, that means they’re in love.”

Coughing on the last bite of his sandwich, Mingyu tripped into an even deeper pit of shock. 

“You and Counselor Mingyu are always holding hands now! And Counselor Mingyu stares at you like you’re a new toy from the Disney Store.”

“Does he now?” Wonwoo teasingly questioned, looking over at Mingyu and punching him in the arm. 

“Mhm. I hope someone will look at me like that someday,” she responded hopefully, with that childhood glint of hope pooling in her eyes, then turned back to converse with Miyoung.

“Well, Mingyu, I guess we’re in love now.” 

Laughing, he said, “I for one am shocked! Doesn’t it seem a little soon though?” In truth, Mingyu wouldn’t be too amazed if he could admit he was soon. Being like this with Wonwoo every day, he sure was on a trip to being in love if he wasn’t already.

Wonwoo snatched one of Mingyu’s carrots, then said, “Possibly. We could be eventually.” 

Along with the atmosphere of happiness floating in the air from the campers ready to claim bragging rights, Wonwoo’s words only fed into the warmth radiating onto Mingyu. He grabbed Wonwoo’s hand—one thing he’d quickly grown accustomed to doing over the week—sighing. “...I hope so.”

“We haven’t even had our first kiss yet though,” Wonwoo pointed out, causing Mingyu to bite the inside of his cheek. He had an idea pulsing around in his mind, but it would only work if today’s course of events ended well. He didn’t exactly want it to be planned, but he figured to make it spectacular like he hoped, it did require a perfect, predisposed moment. The kiss had been egging at him all week, and although Wonwoo seemed fine with a slow course for their newly blossomed relationship, Mingyu yearned for things to accelerate on the path a little faster—if not just the teensiest bit.

Of course, he couldn’t let him know what he had up his sleeve, so he nonchalantly replied, “No rush, right?” _Wrong_.

“Right,” Wonwoo squeezed his hand.

If all went well, for one of the only times in the course of their journey together at Joyrenity, Wonwoo would finally be the one left in awe.

 

* * *

  
With only two teams remaining neck in neck, the campers’ screams and demands were at an all time high. That was supposedly their way of motivating each other, and considering it was working pretty well thus far, Mingyu could see why they felt the need to continuously use it. However, having “Go Counselor Mingyu, rip their heads off!” In his ear by Jihoon as a joke was not nearly as inspiring, and far more painful, leaving him with a dull ringing in his ear for quite a bit.

Head Counselor Sungyeon, pressing on a bullhorn to catch the attention of the ever-distracted campers, began to announce, “The last event to decide the winner of this year’s Camp Games will be…a basketball game!”

A chorus of scattered responses sounded: some cheers, some groans, and a smack dangerously close to Mingyu’s ass from Soonyoung, who then gave him a thumbs up.

“Hey Mingyu, this is your area of expertise,” Wonwoo noted. 

“Hell yeah it is!” Soonyoung roared along with a bunch of the campers on Team C. “Finally your useless skill comes in handy!” They proceeded to cheer, already celebrating a victory that a) Mingyu wasn’t sure they would get, and b) he wasn’t sure that he’d be the one to spearhead it anyways.

As if Wonwoo was reading his mind—it had felt that way a lot ever since they became a real couple—he nudged him knowingly, and said, “I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’d be surprised what kind of wild things these kids are capable of when a prize is at stake, if the Festival wasn’t enough of an indicator.”

Besides Wonwoo and the boys, Mingyu had to admit he would miss the kids once he was back home. Something about their overactive spirits and never-ending faith in things that people just shouldn’t have faith in was a sight to see, especially after spending so much time moping over what seemed like the impossible. Those crying, grinning, yelling, and singing children had become as much a part of his life as Wonwoo had.

“You’re right.” Mingyu smiled at Wonwoo. Though they didn’t show off much in front of others, they’d been doing all sorts of sweet little coupley things: hugging for a lot longer, which always had Mingyu feeling luckier than any lotto ticket winner ever could, consistent hand holding—the biggest staple of their new relationship—and even last night, while everyone was hollering and screeching their lungs out at the campfire, they stayed in to play a few card games. Wonwoo read him his favorite part of the book he treasured so much, which ended in them shockingly but delightfully cuddling. 

Mingyu felt his cheeks grow redder and redder under the heat of the sun at just the thought. They even had an argument over who would be the big spoon and who would be the little, tying right into their corny habits.

_“Mingyu , you’re taller and everything so…clearly you should be the bigger spoon,” Wonwoo tried to reason with him last night._

_“So?” He pouted. “Maybe you’re a better cuddler than I am.”_

_“I doubt it.”_

It felt more like two elementary kids who decided to be a couple just so they’d have someone else to play house with than two real boyfriends to Mingyu, but once they finally stopped arguing and he gave in to wrapping his arm around Wonwoo’s only slightly smaller frame, he realized there was no way he’d rather have it.

That alone made the fact that they hadn’t kissed seem rather miniscule in retrospect, the heat of Wonwoo’s body so close to his own was far more pleasant than the kind the sun offered now.

“With Mingyu—proclaimed basketball prodigy of whatever damn school he goes to, there’s no way we’re gonna lose to Team B,” Yerim hollered in the background, snapping Mingyu back to reality.

“I guess I’m gonna have to pull it together, aren’t I?” He sighed at Wonwoo, who simply smiled at him and teasingly pinched his cheek. 

“Now’s your chance to be the super counselor you’ve always wanted to be.”

“Hm…guess you’re right. Although, I wouldn’t have come anywhere close to a good counselor if not for you…”

“I know,” Wonwoo said, already walking in the direction of the basketball court. The teams that weren’t playing were gathered up on the sidelines, already having decided who to root for.

Once Mingyu reached the court himself, he felt a tug on his shorts. “Listen Counselor Mingyu, I know I called you a cheater once before but, today, you have to be really really good at basketball! If not, I’ll bite your leg again!” Siyeon threatened Mingyu.

He patted her on the head and replied, “I’ll try my hardest.”

“You better try even _harder_ than that!”

The counselors randomly chose a few kids who wanted to play in the final match against Team B, then before Mingyu knew it, it was déjà vu, a mirror of his first real day doing real camp activities at Joyrenity. Wonwoo wasn’t one of the counselors playing, instead cheering along from the sidelines with the remaining members of the team. The game was a blur, but most of what he remembered was just the kids throwing the ball towards him over and over in hopes he’d shoot a perfect basket, Yerim getting tripped by Joy—which didn’t take long to erupt into a full blown argument—and Soonyoung magically getting a shot in from half court, wowing all of the teams in a heartbeat. The game flew by, and with just minutes left, the two teams were tied. 

It wasn’t nearly as serious as a championship game, but with the intensity pounding inside of him, all that seemed to truly be missing were Mingyu’s proper teammaters. The ball was tossed in every direction, seconds ticking down, campers yelling and jumping, and somewhere in the commotion of trying to break that tie, Mingyu got lost in Wonwoo screaming his lungs out against the fence. Mingyu’s heart was beating sporadically—not because of the running (okay, well partly), but because seeing Wonwoo cheer for him with so much confidence and power gave him the strength to take that ball and make a clean shot, win the day like a hero defeating a terrible, treacherous villain. 

Close as Mingyu came to winning the game for Team C, he got a little _too_ caught in up watching  Wonwoo. Suddenly, he felt himself being pushed aside, and the flash of a bright, highlighter blue t-shirt swiped past him. Within seconds, it was over. 

They lost.

Their campers fell to their knees in immediate tears and cries of defeat. “Nice fucking job, Mingyu!” Yerim scowled, stomping off of the court. “I can't believe I took a knee to the damn pavement to lose!”

“This close! We were THIS CLOSE!” A male camper who also participated in the game screeched in agony. 

Mingyu’s confidence, along with his hidden plan, crumpled like a house with weak and shifty supports. All he could hear behind him, around him, was the sad, overdramatic pained voices of a losing team against the sounds of Team B jumping for joy. 

“I can’t. Believe. We lost.” Soonyoung cried. “A loser for the third year in a row!”

“You’ll always be a loser, Soonyoung.” Yerim chuckled in the midst of her bout of anger.

“You’re a loser too, we’re on the same team!” 

“Shut up!”

While they bickered and wailed and even went as far to try and throw a few punches—only to be stopped by Head Counselors—Mingyu sat with his legs sprawled out on the pavement that was beginning to cool down. And to think the one thing that had gotten him this far also ended up being the thing to break him down.

Eventually, everyone had to clear out to hit the Main Square for the final commencement ceremony. Mingyu was one of the last ones to go, still sitting on the ground in regret. _Who knew a goddamn camp basketball game could ruin me like I’m some eight-year-old?_ He thought. 

Wonwoo walked over to him, laughing for whatever reason, and held out a hand for him. 

He took it without a second thought. “I can’t believe we really lost. The kids aren’t going to let me hear the end of it, are they?”

“Nope. They’ll be talking about it when they get back home, during Christmas dinner with relatives, and all until next year to the newbie campers. I thought for sure you’d get the basket…what happened?”

“Well…I got a little distracted.”

“Guess you’ll just have to pay the price in insults from children for weeks to come,” Wonwoo joked. At this point, only Wonwoo and Mingyu were in sight. The sun was beginning to set, the air settling from unbearably hot to cool. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Seriously, they’ll do enough of that for you.”

Mingyu shook his head, shrugging. It didn’t feel so hot letting down a team of thirty kids and the other counselors when he had the game in the palm of his hand. He sighed, catching the glint in Wonwoo’s eyes. For days, all Mingyu could imagine was how brilliant and remarkable it would’ve been to have his first kiss with Wonwoo after winning the Games. The mood would soar at its peak, the atmosphere would glow with excitement and joy—everything was lost in the blink of an eye. The two boys stared at each other, Wonwoo half confused in his expression, while crickets made that same old irritating sound in the background. 

Before Mingyu could really process what was happening, their faces were just millimeters apart—even closer than they had been in each and everyone one of Mingyu’s dreams. In a magnificent turn of a events, their faces, lips at that, connected, and Mingyu’s heartbeat during the game was no match for the way it was racing uncontrollably now. Threatening to pop out of his chest and run on it’s own, he felt Wonwoo’s warm hands with that same old hint of roughness slide into his much softer ones by his sides. Seconds passed, but to Mingyu, time had dissolved into thin air and out of his plane of existence. Given he was more experienced, Wonwoo was quite the kisser, sending flutters through Mingyu’s pure-white consumed mind. He could taste a hint of the melon Popsicle Wonwoo had eaten earlier—a special Camp Games treat distributed after lunch, but there was a certain sweetness, a lovely taste that was definitely all Wonwoo.

When their faces finally detached, Mingyu couldn’t hold back of his sigh of satisfaction—nor did he want to. Head titled, he looked down at Wonwoo with unrestricted adoration. He wanted Wonwoo to know that this was everything he waited for, hoped for, beyond that for weeks. He wanted Wonwoo to know that he loved this this moment so much he didn’t care to hold it back. Wonwoo deserved to see it after all they’d been through.

“I thought we were taking it slow,” Mingyu whispered. 

“What! It’s been a week; I think that was slow enough.” Wonwoo laughed, soaking up all the happiness that Mingyu couldn’t seem to stop emitting.

“That’s so corny,” Mingyu rolled his eyes, but displayed a smile you could easily catch from miles away.

“We _did_ agree to be the corny couple,”  Wonwoo reminded him.

“Point.”

“Anyways, we should get going to the commencement ceremony to earn our Honorable Loser Plaques.” Wonwoo still gripped his hand, but nodded in the direction of the main square.

Mingyu groaned; clearly he’d rather be here, still kissing Wonwoo and feeling as light as a spark that burned out in just seconds, but they had no choice—the walk of Camp Games shame was calling.

They walked over hand in hand, and even when they made it to the Main Square to meet up with the rest of the team, still mourning their close loss, they didn’t let go.

Soonyoung looked over and winked at them, then proceeded to exaggerate crying gestures with the younger kids on the Team.

 _So what if we lost,_ Mingyu thought in his own rushing, unsettled mind. So what if the campers would complain about this for days and days to come? So what if Yerim would probably tack a ‘Camp’s Biggest Idiot’ sign on the back of his t-shirt come Monday? Right here, standing with Wonwoo’s head against his shoulder, his own tilting to lie on top of his, he didn’t have to win the Camp Games. He’d already won the best prize of the night.

 


	20. Almost, but not Quite

The days leading up to the campers’ last weaved in and out, shocking Mingyu with how easy it was for him and Wonwoo to fall into 'real' couple habits. They cuddled more, hugged more, kissed a lot more—not too much, considering they were surrounded by kids. Ironically enough, the other members of their cabin voiced their annoyance and sounds of disgust far more than any camper actually did. The fact that they were always around kids could’ve fed into their immaturity, but Mingyu figured it was just them being idiots in general. Either way, that couldn’t take away from the light shining happily within Mingyu for those remaining days. Of course, they maintained their best friend aura, carrying classically stupid conversations about pointless things and dealing Uno cards night after night. Wonwoo told Mingyu a few more stories about his dad and his tendencies. The way he spoke with such nostalgia and the way his faced beamed in light just thinking of those memories threw Mingyu into a spell of awe. It simply amazed him that Wonwoo trusted him enough with his precious memories, something no one would ever be able to take from him by force. Still, they had yet to touch upon the subject of what would become of their relationship once the bags were packed and Joyrenity was back to being an empty spot in the forest. Those memories could dissolve into nothing _but_ memories for Mingyu to pack away and cherish on those nights of the upcoming year when the stress and pressures of high school would start to cave in.

D-day arrived swiftly, filled with tears of both joy and sadness by noon, before parents had even showed up to finally bring their children home to the real world. Mingyu encountered a crying child every few minutes, possibly beating out the record from the first day of camp.  The older campers on Team C who always put on brave fronts, even after their tragic loss to Team B just a week ago, couldn’t hold in their tears when it was time to bid their friends goodbye. He realized not only were they saying goodbye to the friends they wouldn’t see until next year—or perhaps never again—they also had to part with the counselors who shaped into something of older siblings for them. However, ten weeks of playing glorified babysitter taught him that there was no point in expecting anything from these children; they were just that, children—who changed within the blink of an eye and decided things through rock, paper, scissors or bubblegum in a dish. 

Parents busily walked around camp, helping their children collect their belongings and signing them out at the Main Square. The counselors were able to enjoy a final breakfast and lunch with their beloved campers, unfortunately not without melancholy attitudes and somber clouds hanging over heads.

“Promise that you’ll make sure to practice tying your shoelaces everyday?” Mingyu overheard Yerim ask a camper. He could tell she was trying her hardest to keep that sadness locked in from the way she bit her cheek, then scowled at him. 

“I promise!” Yerim then pulled her into a warm, sisterly embrace, patting her back comfortingly.

“Good. You’ll never get better if you don’t practice. Look at Counselor Mingyu. It took him sixteen years to learn how to tie his shoes, and he still doesn’t do it well enough,” she nodded in his direction.  
      
The camper giggled, and while Mingyu wanted to fire something equally as ridiculous back, the day was already depressing enough, so he walked away, letting himself be painted as an incapable teenager-near-adult.

Instinctively, he looked around for Wonwoo, wondering what child could’ve been sobbing in his arms now. They endlessly fought sniffles and coughs, but parts of Mingyu believed he’d feel a thousand times worse once he was the one saying goodbye to Wonwoo for the summer. Thankfully, the counselors still had four days of cleaning, packing, and locking up to do before they were on the road home themselves. Four days to clarify, four days to plan—hopefully not four days left of their relationship, Mingyu prayed.

A pull on his leg, somewhat familiar at this point, also pulled him out of his own thoughts. Mingyu looked down to see little Siyeon on the brink of tears. Immediately, he crouched down so that he could give her a huge hug. Behind her stood her mother with clasped hands, patiently waiting for her daughter to finish up her goodbyes.

“Ready to go home, Siyeon?” Mingyu asked her.

“Yeah…my stuffed animals have been without me for too long. I think maybe they’ve been talking to each other while I was gone like in that movie we saw...I have to make sure they’re being nice to each other.” 

“That’s right. You can’t let them fight like the campers here.”

Siyeon nodded her head. “Counselor Mingyu…I’m sorry I called you a cheater that one time,” the tears she had been holding in quickly began to stream down her cheeks.

Mingyu wiped them away at once and replied, “It’s okay. Maybe I _was_ being a little unfair that day.” 

“-But,” She started again, “I’m not gonna forgive you for making us lose the Camp Games so you can forget all about that!” She crossed her arms and turned the other way, causing Mingyu to laugh bitterly. All week the kids had made their disappointment in him clear, along with Soonyoung and Yerim—who cursed at him every possible moment. One wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from actual campers at this point.

“Siyeon,” her mother said sternly, “Don’t be grouchy. Finish saying goodbye to Counselor Mingyu; we have to get going.”

“Alright, Alright!” Siyeon pushed her hand away.

“I promise we won’t lose next year,” Mingyu smiled at her once she turned back around. 

“We better not!” She held her pinky finger up and wiggled it, then they completed a pinky promise. As Mingyu tried to hold back his tears himself, he wondered how this could be the same little girl who bit him in the leg and made him doubt his chances in ever being a decent counselor—only reminding himself to leave such expectations in the trash where they belonged. “You promise you’ll come back next year?” She asked with glittery eyes, partly from crying.

Mingyu patted her head, “Of course.”  Though he hadn’t given it much serious thought, he knew there was a good chance. Whatever was to happen with Wonwoo couldn’t take away from the fact that as stupid as it sounded, Joyrenity had the capabilities of filling you up with endless, unsolicited cups of joy…the serenity part…maybe he’d have to wait for next year to figure that one out. Mingyu gave her one last departing hug, ruffling her hair, then waved goodbye, watching her mother load her into the car along with the rest of her belongings. 

“Do you super duper pinky promise?” A high-pitched voice asked again the background. 

He swung around to see Wonwoo trying to stifle his laugh. “I can’t believe Siyeon got a direct response before I did. These kids really do have some kind of magic power.”

“Only took ten weeks for me to figure out,” Mingyu sighed. More and more kids began to hop into their cars, waiting for their parents to stop blabbing on and on about sunscreen with other parents and counselors. Despite being sad, clearly everything had its desirable end, he thought, hearing a camper cry, ‘Mommy! Let’s go already, I want mac and cheese!’

“Well…only four days left before we’re crying ourselves,” Wonwoo signaled between the two of them. 

Mingyu took a deep breath, waiting for the words that would cut off their short lived relationship already, he knew he shouldn’t have let himself get too comfortable with the cuddling and kissing, because from the feel of it, nothing would be able to match it—well, maybe something, but that was definitely out of their current relationship range for a good while. He stood in silence, waiting and waiting for Wonwoo to say the words, but before he could mutter anything, Wonwoo was dragged away by Minkyun. 

Minkyun, the resident crybaby of Joyrenity, was happily back to his father’s care, a sight tugging at the heartstrings of anyone within a mile radius. Though he eventually got used to camp, nothing compared to the way his smile glowed now that he was with his dad again. 

“You’re leaving already?” Wonwoo gasped, pointing at Minkyun’s Spiderman backpack.

“Sorry, Counselor Wonwoo, I have to go back to my dad now.”

“Ah…you’re right. I was having so much fun being your counselor…guess we’ll just see each other again next year, right?”

Minkyun’s father tickled him before saying, “Think you’ll make it alone another summer?”

“Yeah!” He cheered loudly, no signs of visible gloom or regret. Minkyun had also gotten a little taller, and probably needed a haircut from the looks of it.

“Whoa buddy, looks like you’ve grown up a little this summer. Maybe next year I’ll be the one crying when we say goodbye.”

Minkyun giggled at his father’s words, which brought smiles to both Wonwoo and Mingyu’s faces. The last time they were here, such a scene almost made Wonwoo emotional, reminding him of something he would never be able to experience himself again. This time around he seemed perfectly fine, showing that everyone, not just the kids, had grown a little this summer.

“Say bye Minkyun.”

Waving goodbye to both counselors, Minkyun gave them each a quick high five, then paraded away in the direction of his car.

“Looks like you guys did a pretty amazing job. I thought I’d have to pick him up in a week tops.” His father breathed proudly. “Thanks for taking care of him. He’s all I’ve got.”

“No problem,” Wonwoo smiled, Mingyu following. 

Camp was cleared out in a few short hours, simply because most parents couldn’t wait have their children back in their care and protection. All that was left was the task of making sure Camp Joyrenity's many cabins were all clean and locked up safely until the kids came back and reeked their usual havoc next year. The days were ticking away, minutes flying by, and Mingyu longed for an answer he could easily get just by asking.

 

* * *

  
“Disney movies aren’t the same without someone spilling their slushie all over the floor and pretending it wasn’t them,” Soonyoung sighed when the feature film of the night, The Jungle Book, came to a close. Since only the counselors remained, they could pretty much do whatever they wanted as long as no one ended up hurt or things didn’t end up broken. The entire group of counselors took it upon themselves to have a movie night, which by the sound of Soonyoung’s complaint, was no fun without the kids, but Wonwoo’s head had been on Mingyu’s shoulder the entire time, so he barely noticed the lack of loud whispers and constant spilling of pop corn and frozen treats on the ground.

“If you’re so sad about that why don’t you just spill a slushie on the ground yourself,” Wonwoo lightly suggested, earning a punch on the arm.

“Ever since you and Mingyu got all boyfriendey and gross, you’ve gotten meaner to the rest of us,” Soonyoung groaned.

“Seems the same to me,” Mingyu shrugged, waiting for the lights to turn back on. 

“Of course he seems the same to you. He _is_ the same to you. Now the rest of us have to take the jabs.”

“Don’t be a baby, Soonyoung. Enjoy my jabs while you still can,” Wonwoo reminded him. 

He grimaced then said, “Oh yeah. What are you guys gonna do now that everyone’s going home? Don’t tell me your just gonna dump each other and pretend like it never happened, cause I do not want to deal with having to sit at two different tables next summer. It’s like having divorced parents when your friends break up.”

This seemed to call everyone’s attention, all of the boys turning in their spots to face Mingyu and Wonwoo. Mingyu could feel himself almost suffocating under their expectant glances, and while he struggled to find the right words, he was done letting Wonwoo do all the work. Now that they were in a relationship, he was making sure he voiced what he really wanted to say, not just forcing Wonwoo to carry the weight of all of their decisions. If it was up to him, he’d definitely keep this going for as long as possible, even if it meant staying up at insane hours video chatting and only getting to see each other every few weekends. He’d never had someone like Wonwoo, and at this point, it seemed like such a waste to let it slip away like a catch in the lake that you decided you didn't want to take home at the last minute.

Wonwoo opened his mouth to speak, but Mingyu was quicker to the chase for once, saying, “I don’t think we should break up just cause we won’t be here…I mean…we still have the internet and our phones, plus, I’m gonna get my license when I get home so…maybe I'll be able to visit every once and a while.”

Not just Wonwoo—the entire bunch gave him stunned looks and eyes riddled with confusion. Wonwoo smiled at Mingyu before turning back to the others and tacking on, “Yeah. Why would we break up just cause we’re going home? It’s not like Seungkwan and Hansol are. And it’s not like Jun and Minghao are, and they probably live a lot farther apart than Mingyu and I do.”

Instantaneously, the net of fear cascaded over Mingyu disintegrated, and he took a deep breath, finally feeling relief flood all corners of his body and encapsulating his mind. Wonwoo winked at him, and he smiled right back.

“True,” Seungkwan nodded. “You guys don’t have it that bad; no one can have it worse than those two,” he gestured in the direction of Jun and Minghao. To everyone’s knowledge, Jun was going to be studying abroad again his next semester, so the distance between those two was definitely unbeatable. 

“It’s nothing,” Minghao shrugged in the same manner Wonwoo did. “I don’t feel like the distance means anything for us. Especially since Jun and I talked all past school year anyways.”

The boys let out sounds of understanding and chimes of agreement, and with that, there was nothing left to worry about except for where exactly Wonwoo lived. For all Mingyu knew, he could have lived down the street his entire life, and Mingyu just never looked in that direction. Everything seemed like it was going to work out okay, part of the relationship was putting in some difficult efforts, but Mingyu would’ve rather had Wonwoo miles and miles away than someone he didn’t truly like ten minutes away. 

“But what if you break up during the year?” Chan voiced his curious thoughts aloud. “It’ll be so awkward once you come back next summer.” 

Just another thing that had skipped Mingyu’s mind, he looked over to Wonwoo for an answer. “Then we break up. Who knows if we’ll be in the same cabin or the same team. Mingyu is the best, but I don’t think anything could keep me from Joyrenity.”

A chorus of ‘trues’ sounded. Even Mingyu could agree on that one. 

“Wait, Mingyu’s actually coming back?” Jihoon asked in astonishment, as if it wasn’t more surprising that he came back every year when he seemed to despise kids more than anyone else in the room. 

“I think so,” he said. Like it or not, Joyrenity had evolved into second home—a sticky, bug infested, wifi-less home—but a home nonetheless. Better yet, it was more like another world. So many ridiculous things had happened here in just a span of ten weeks, but looking around at all the boys sitting in the Mess Hall, especially Wonwoo, it was an escape. Joyrenity was corny, stressful, and an unpredictable mess most days, but that was the beauty of it. It had given Mingyu new friends and something new to look forward to all year long. The tide of changed had washed over the entire camp this summer, hitting Mingyu the hardest. This was the same place he couldn’t stand his first few week, dying to leave and go back home to video games and the team and sleeping until whatever hour. Now, all he could think about was how things might go next summer. Who would win the Camp Games? Any new, interesting counselors? _Would him and Wonwoo still be together?_

The future was an unpredictable corner of life—fun to imagine and picture different paths—but when Wonwoo tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him back to reality, he shook it off. He had to live in this moment, savor these last few days like the last bite of your favorite meal. _Forget the future. This is now, and it’s awesome._

That night, instead of retiring off to sleep, many of the counselors stayed up playing manhunt, laughing and running wildly in the night air, feeling a certain sense of freedom. Considering the amount of counselors playing, it took quite a while for someone to be declared a winner. Wonwoo and Mingyu were both tagged out around the same time, instead of settling into the pit of shame—the designated cabin for losers—they simply retreated to their own cabin, not caring about the winners or losers, only indulging in each other’s presence and kissing until Mingyu’s lips were a little puffy and they were both aching for things they couldn’t possibly do at camp.

He definitely forgot all about the future that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry about the soonhoon, i haven't forgotten, you'll see
> 
> Thanks for everything as always guys! We're almost there!


	21. Never-ending Summer

Wiping down windows and picking up trash from cabins wasn’t exactly the most enriching activity. Still, all of the counselors did their best in making sure everything was spotless so they could spend their last few days having fun instead of worrying. Mingyu had found so many abandoned slinkys, popsicle sticks, paper mache cranes, crayons stolen from the art cabin and broken in halves, all sorts of strange things in the campers’ now empty cabins. The most unsettling and odd thing he found was a list of the cutest counselors, on which he saw both Wonwoo and himself. At first he didn’t notice really notice the emptiness stemming from their lack of presence, but when they rose for breakfast the next morning, the Mess Hall was a lifeless ghost town of sleepy counselors. Some counselors proposed they throw another party at the lake, which seemed like a great idea. Though a few just _had_ to voice their unwelcome complaints about not getting to bring alcohol even though the kids were gone. Joohyun rolled her eyes at them and told them to find another way to have fun without driving an absurd number of miles just to get drinks that they weren’t legally allowed to have in the first place. 

Wonwoo had gone to take a shower, muttering something about this cleaning spray making his skin burn and possibly giving him a rash, so Mingyu sat back on his bunk, thinking about what it would be like to be back home. How many things had changed while he was gone? Were Seungcheol and Jeonghan still together? Which members of the basketball team had decided to stay, and which to go? Most importantly, was his mom doing okay? Was Taehyung? He had been calling them about twice a week, but seeing them in person again was something he admittedly couldn’t wait for. He wondered how his mother would react to hearing he’d finally gotten a boyfriend, considering she’d always nagged about her handsome son never showing a pint of interest in anyone. Though Mingyu had grown to love this place, he missed his spot at home too. 

While he began looking through his plastic bin, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be, he noticed Jihoon ruffling through a crumpled, disorganized stack of papers. Jihoon gathered the bunch; wiping a small bit of sweat off of his forehead, then got up to go.

“Where are you going with all that stuff?” Mingyu stopped him before he could reach for the door handle.

“What does it matter to you?” Jihoon shot back rather aggressively, earning a raised eyebrow and offended glance from Mingyu, who believed they were past that point in their bizarre friendship.

“I would tell you if I asked me…” he replied. 

Sighing, Jihoon said, “Fine. I’m going to bring something to…” The last word came out in a such a low whisper that even someone standing right next to him probably wouldn’t be able to catch it.

“To who?” Mingyu provokingly poked at him, despite already having a good idea. Since things around here always had a way of getting out on their own, he never bothered asking Jihoon what was the deal with Soonyoung.

He repeated in a louder whisper, “Soonyoung.”

“To _who_?” Mingyu yelled, pretending not to hear, and he could see Jihoon’s eyes burn with rims of ice and his glare grow harsher by the second.

“To Soonyoung,” he finally said in a normal voice. “Before you say anything, we’re not together, okay. We’re just friends.”

“That’s still pretty great though. I think you at least deserve that. Didn’t you say Soonyoung would never want to be friends with someone like you, huh?”

“I thought wrong…I guess,” Jihoon shrugged. “Now are you done cross-interrogating me so I can go?”

“Hold on. What are all of those papers? Don’t tell me you’ve been writing Soonyoung sappy love letters and you’re finally going to confess.”

Jihoon groaned and restrained himself from moving over to Mingyu’s bed and giving him a good smack “Shut up. You’re the one who took eight centuries to tell Wonwoo you liked him back; you have no business mocking me. They’re songs I’ve been working on. Soonyoung told me he likes to sing so…I figured I’d show him some of my stuff. He doesn’t think he’s a good singer, but…I think he has a really nice voice so...”

Considering Jihoon always carried such a mature and knowing aura, the vulnerability currently cloaked over him looked so peculiar to Mingyu, speaking with light traces of awe in his voice.

“You can still confess even if we’ve only got three days left. That way you’ll have a head start for next summer."

“That’s just stupid.” Jihoon shook his head and prepared to leave again. “Besides. I need something to actually look forward to from this chaotic place next year. I’m not going to bother with that since we just became friends and…people don’t fall in love in a day, Mingyu. It’s not realistic.”

“Whatever you say,” Mingyu held up his hands as if to signify backing down. Jihoon’s words sounded an awful lot like a story he was familiar with himself, although he did acknowledge the truth in people not falling in love overnight. 

“I’ll enjoy his company while I still can. That’s all.” Jihoon assured him. “Worry about Wonwoo and your plan to survive out of camp. There’s always next summer.” With that, he exited the cabin and was on his way to share his wonderful sheet music with Soonyoung, his beloved treasures—much in the same manner Wonwoo shared stories of his father with Mingyu, something he couldn’t show to just any old person around here.

Once Wonwoo returned from his shower, he began to wipe his wet hair off with his towel. He winked a few times at Mingyu playfully, over and over until he was just winking both eyes like an idiot. Mingyu laughed, stomach pooling with raw delight. How much it sucked that this would end, but everything had to come to a close at some point. Wonwoo leaned over and gave him a kiss—quick, yet still as sweet as ever. 

“What were you and Jihoon talking about? He dropped a bunch of his papers outside and was freaking out. I helped save them from the mud in time, but I swear I saw him turn six different shades of red.”

“Soonyoung,” Mingyu blankly stated.

“Are they a thing?” Wonwoo asked, and Mingyu recognized he was probably so caught up in their ‘thing’ that he never noticed his best friend and cabin mate were on their way to becoming something more than just acquaintances.

“Not now. But they supposedly could be eventually.”

“Huh. I bet Soonyoung would like that.”

Stricken with a few bolts of shock, Mingyu stared at Wonwoo, wearing a muddled expression. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean Soonyoung always liked Jihoon. Well, not _always_ , cause apparently he had a crush on me too. I remember his first year he used to get so shy around him. It was hilarious. His face would get beet red but Jihoon was really stubborn back then so he barely paid attention to anyone but himself. They just never became friends, and it's been three years since that hapepned. ”

This was definitely news to Mingyu. He thought he was ahead of the silly camp gossip for once, only reflecting upon the fact that there were still things about Joyrenity he had yet to discover. “You knew he had a crush on you and you never did anything about it?”

“Mhm.”

Stuttering, Mingyu blinked, saying, “But why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell him?” _Or me_ , he thought. _If he knew Soonyoung liked him, he probably knew I liked him too._

“Because. I liked someone else. Why would I risk my friendship with Soonyoung and embarrass him like that?” Wonwoo explained, now poking at Mingyu’s chest. “He knew that I knew anyways. I could just tell.”

Mingyu was about to ask who that someone else was, smiling when he looked at their newly coupled fingers, and mentally scolded himself for being so dense sometimes. _It’s you, dumbass._ “Do…do you think if I never came to camp this year, you guys would’ve gotten together?”

“No. Maybe Jihoon and Soonyoung would’ve became a real thing, but I couldn’t destroy our friendship.”

“So you weren’t afraid you’d ruin our friendship?” Mingyu pelted him with more unnecessary questions, sitting in a heap of confusion. In the same moment, Wonwoo was leaning in for another kiss.

“We’ve been through this. Of course I did, but I liked you enough to risk it.”

“Don’t you at least like him a little bit?” Mingyu wondered aloud, thinking about Soonyoung’s exaggerated expressions and constant need to make others feel better, an entirely understanding being full of life. How could he have given all of that up to be with Mingyu, who found himself to fall so unbelievably short in comparison. 

“Seriously Mingyu, you’re such an idiot sometimes.” Wonwoo silenced him with that kiss, this time deeper and far more distracting, pulling him closer as they released their hands. By the time Wonwoo answered, he had already forgotten he asked. Still, that didn’t keep him from smiling against Wonwoo’s lips when he heard the answer.

“Who cares if I liked him a little? I like _you_ a lot.”

 

* * *

 

On their final night, the counselors headed for the lake with all of their leftover goods in tow, spirits high. Although they were a bit blue to be heading home themselves tomorrow, they came in full preparation to have the most fun possible. The last of the goodies from the Mess Hall were spared for them, and nearly everyone had their bathing suit on, ready to spend the entire night swimming and laughing with their friends. The lake was much cooler at night, considering the harsh sun wasn’t beaming down on them. The stars sat high in the sky, twinkling their goodbyes to Mingyu, who wouldn’t see such beautiful natural lights back in the city.   
   
Wonwoo and him walked to the lake hand in hand, and Wonwoo knowingly spoke up in between the noisiness of the other counselors to say, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Just have fun tonight.” 

Mingyu smiled in response and nodded. Nothing to worry about tonight, just who was going to successfully consume the most sugar without waking up sick the next morning and who would be able to stay in the lake the longest and come out with fingers looking like dry raisins you find in the back of your pantry.

Wonwoo and Mingyu had a discussion yesterday over where he lived, and while they were given the task to file papers in the Main Cabin—the only place in camp with a working computer, though extremely laggy and slow—they managed to look up the literal distance between their two homes. It was around forty-five minutes, not incredibly close, but Mingyu figured it was better than hours and hours. Wonwoo considered maybe if he drove during less busy hours, it could even take thirty minutes.

Mingyu called his mom some twenty minutes later to make sure she knew what time to pick him up tomorrow. Her voice was filled with brightness and merriment; clearly she was thrilled to see her eldest son again. Mingyu couldn’t wait to tell her all about Wonwoo and what a mess this place had been, deciding telling her about his first relationship over the phone wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying. She assured him Taehyung would be very excited to see him as well, which also reminded Mingyu that he could introduce him to Wonwoo too. Everything stacked together quite well, and Mingyu no longer worried what would become of them outside of camp—if he wanted this to work, a driver’s license alone wouldn’t offer much help anyways. He was dying to tell Seungcheol as well, so perhaps things did need to come to an end for everything to truly move forward. Being apart would test the parameters of their relationship.

The lake was bouncing with life upon arrival, other counselors already setting up playlists of summer hits and good old classics, while others gathered their collection of foods and arranged it on their little makeshift setup. Before Mingyu and Wonwoo hit the water, they settled down on the towels and rickety beach chairs with their unofficial 'group.' Wonwoo sparked into a conversation about amusement parks with Soonyoung, still holding Mingyu’s hand securely, so Mingyu took the opportunity to check in with Jihoon. After all, tomorrow they wouldn’t be able to communicate like this either, and Mingyu found it to be much harder to get Jihoon to give up his phone number than it needed to be.

“Pst, Jihoon,” He tapped Jihoon’s shoulder, who was currently powering through a pudding cup he didn’t even seem to like. “So?”

“So what?”

“So what happened with Soonyoung?”

“What was supposed to happen?” He made a sour face as he took another bite of the pudding. “God, who the fuck actually enjoys butterscotch pudding? This trash needs to be discontinued.”

“Did you tell Soonyoung anything about you know…” he leaned in to whisper in Jihoon’s ear, “liking him?”

“Oh that,” Jihoon nodded. “Next summer.”

Mingyu groaned, shoving him a little with his shoulder. “You can’t wait until next summer! That’s 365 days away.”

“No it isn’t, idiot. It’s 365 days minus ten weeks, give or take a few days. And I meant he said we can try next summer.” Jihoon’s cheeks seemed to radiate under the darkness of the sky, that softer and more approachable boy from a few days ago reappearing in front of Mingyu. “I don’t mind waiting. I mean, Jun and Minghao waited, and you and Wonwoo kind of waited. Why can’t we wait?”

Mingyu actually found that to be a convincing argument, however, he knew better than anyone else the pain of waiting could bring on, “You have a point. Sometimes waiting makes you question if you really like someone or not. Maybe by next summer you’ll be completely in love with Soonyoung without even knowing it. 

“Maybe,” Jihoon conceded. The lavender in his hair had completely faded at this point, more of a platinum blonde, nearly matching Soonyoung’s. Mingyu smiled to himself thinking they would actually look nice together, an unexpected couple that could fit like two pieces of a dusty old puzzle.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Mingyu admitted. “Whose gonna yell threats in my face every morning and force me to do stuff I don’t want to?” They both began to laugh at the endless band of memories they had together; Wonwoo wasn’t the only person here Mingyu cared about—maybe the most, but certainly not the only one. 

“Don’t you have a little brother? I’m sure he can do all of those things for you too.” Awkwardly shifting on his towel, he looked away before saying, “I _might_ miss you a little too. You’re a dumbass but it’s entertaining sometimes. Most of the time it’s annoying though.”

“Ah, you know you love me,” Mingyu pulled Jihoon in for one of those brotherly hugs and began to ruffle his hair, only to be shoved away.

“Don’t push it you fool,” Jihoon got up and headed for the snack area, discarding his less than pleasant cup of pudding.When he returned with a cup of the exact same kind, Mingyu scoffed. “What? It’s disgusting, but someone has to take advantage of the free goods before they expire.”

While some counselors continued to dive and splash around in the refreshing night air, others formed a circle to have one last campfire singing fest. The fire was burning high and bright, sparks eating at the air and illuminating the darkness with sharp flames of striking light. They sat side by side on the logs that always gave them splinters in weird places and let the mosquitos terrorize them with no regards. Mingyu finally let go and joined them to sing camp classics, even the song he dreaded on their very first hike together—back when he was jealous of Soonyoung and Wonwoo, back when Hyejeong had gotten him lost in the forest, back when he was still beating himself up over his mistakes. Singing about cartons of milk never felt so strangely freeing.

Looking over to his left, he saw Seungkwan belting out so loudly one would think it was some sort of talent show and not a group of stupid counselors having playing around. However on his right, he saw Wonwoo blissfully singing along, smiling wide with each word, reminding him of the first few times he saw that smile—oh what he’d suffer through if he could never see it again. It was so hypnotizing, something that once you saw, you’d never get tired of. Wonwoo smiled more and more these days, and Mingyu proudly proclaimed himself to be part of the reason why.

Once Wonwoo noticed he was looking at him, he did that little wink—the one that drove Mingyu more insane than any camper ever had, full of charm, kind of dorky, but so…Wonwoo. 

The singing carried on and through the night air, the dissonant voices filling the night sky with the simple sound of happiness. Eventually the group needed a break, rising to push and shove each other to get to the ice pops, which Mingyu had successfully retrieved before the stampede came crashing in, bringing one for him and one for Wonwoo.

“Oh how sweet. Just like a real married couple,” Jisoo fake gushed.

“Don’t sound so jealous, Jisoo.” Seungkwan shook his head, pushing the bits of his ice pop upwards towards the opening. “It’s not their fault you didn’t get laid this summer.”

Making a sound of disgust, Jisoo replied, “If you want a ride home you better be quiet. I didn’t come here to get laid anyways. I’m a head counselor; I’d get fired in two seconds if anyone found out.”

“That's why you just make sure they don’t find out,” Jun said in a tone that would make it seem like it was the most obvious of answers.

“Gross. I don’t know what kinds of things you and Minghao have been up to, but I think I’ll pass on having sex in a children's summer camp. Just the thought is…ugh,” Jisoo shuddered.

“He’s right,” Mingyu agreed. “Why would you here when you could…anywhere else, virtually?”

"Hey, to be fair Jun doesn't have that luxury, he's going abroad again, remember?" Chan pointed out.

“Exactly. You mean to tell me you and Wonwoo—with all that lovey dovey BS and hand holding and sucking faces right in behind us thinking we can’t all SEE—haven’t? You’re the couple that I’d most expect to do it, and that’s coming from _me_.”

Mingyu was grateful it was looming in darkness at this point, because he was blushing so hard that his face was starting to resemble pure crimson cloth. “Of course not…”

“Hmm…whatever you say. I thought you guys were doing it long before you started actually dating.”

“Shut up, Jun, “Soonyoung smacked him on the side of the head, “Mingyu is like a little joyrenity camper himself. I’d say he’s the last one to do that here.”

Mingyu was slightly offended at this point, but Wonwoo gave him a look that said he didn’t care what they were saying, so neither should he. And for that much, he was glad they didn’t do it in the forest, all sticky and uncomfortable and gathering mosquito bites too. They had other places, other days, a whole ride in front of them where they could cross that path when ready. Not to say Mingyu didn’t think about it, and maybe Wonwoo did too—it was only natural—but now wasn’t their time. He was perfectly content holding hands and kissing and talking like best friends, anything else would just be a bonus at this point.

“Jun’s just grumpy cause he’s going back abroad in a week. Sucks, he can’t even come to the amusement park with us.” Seunkgwan explained somewhat sympathetically.

“The amusement park?” Mingyu dared to ask. He heard Wonwoo and Soonyoung talking about it earlier, and now it seemed like he was the only one who was out of the loop on this one.

“Oh yeah.” Wonwoo lit up, remembering something. “I meant to ask if you would come to the amusement park with us tomorrow. It’s kinda like a tradition some of us had, my mom brought us all last year, but now Jisoo has a car so he’s gonna take us.”

“Yeah, his mom’s busted up minivan.” Soonyoung laughed.

Thought Mingyu was incredibly happy he was considered, he had to admit it was time to break apart from this group. It was enough to have spent every day listening to them fight about arbitrary things, so he couldn't imagine the pain of them all arguing over which rides to go on and purposely spilling sodas on each other like toddlers.

“I meant to tell you earlier, but I didn’t even know if I was going to until my mom said it was okay a few hours ago, so.”

“It’s cool,” Mingyu shook his head, easily not finding it in himself to be mad over something so silly. While it sounded like an eventful trip, he reminded himself he had things to do at home: basketball practice, searching for a new job to help his mom once he was back, getting back into the swing of things. He couldn’t have his cake and eat it too this time. Like it or not, he had to go back home where he belonged to catch up with the real word of responsibilities. Joyrenity had given him enough excitement and chaos for one summer, so a few hours of running around and going on rollercoasters was nothing to be missed. Confidently, Mingyu added, “I need to get home and take care of a bunch of stuff for the team, and for my family. I’ll definitely consider next year though. And I’ll be able to drive, so maybe I can take some of you guys home too.”

Jisoo responded, “Sounds good to me.” 

“You're really taking Seokmin with you though?” Mingyu questioned, a little stunned considered the habits of their relationship. 

Seokmin gasped melodramatically, clutching his chest in offense.

“Eh, Seokmin can be irritating with his cracks from his stupid third-grade joke book, but who am I to stop him from having a some last minute fun with the rest of us?”

“Just admit you love him and make it easier for all of us,” Seungkwan mumbled.

The boys began to bicker for the final time as a group that summer, because they all knew tomorrow it would be waterworks and a hugfest all over again. Through their screams, insults, whining, complaining, so on and so forth, Mingyu and Wonwoo could only make eye contact and begin to laugh. This was what Mingyu would really miss—the foolishness this group had come to participate in daily. Not much longer later, Yerim walked over, seeming very nonchalant and at ease, only to end up tossing a hidden water balloon on Mingyu and soaking him.

A water balloon fight erupted immediately; everyone who hadn’t swum yet ended up wet within minutes. Smiles sat on the faces of nearly everyone, laughter sounded—it was cacophony in the most glorious way. When they ran out of water balloons, they all went tumbling towards the lake, some dragged in by friends. They did all sorts of stuff: chicken fighting, a very disorganized game of volleyball, even coming to the point of bringing the singing to the water. Wonwoo and Mingyu splashed each other, alternating on giving each other piggy back rides for a while, though Mingyu had to get off when he realized he might've ended up drowning Wonwoo with all his weight. 

While everyone else played in the water without a care, Mingyu and Wonwoo climbed up onto the wooden dock, sitting in solitude. Wonwoo gently set his head full of wet hair against Mingyu’s shoulder in that endearing way, and Mingyu followed suite, putting his arm around Wonwoo.  There wasn’t anything to left to fret over. Thoughts of school, home, the basketball team, future jobs, driving—everything—melted off of Mingyu and drowned in the lake. The summer that started out rather painful and killed Mingyu’s confidence ended up being his best one yet. Everyday was filled with madness—the comfortable kind that was easy to get used to. Right there with Wonwoo’s head lying warmly against his shoulder, feeling the heat spread off of him from just a few inches a way, Mingyu turned to face him. The light of the moon hung overhead like a picture on the walls of a mansion, a commissioned painting by a spectacular artist, something that could only be captured on canvas by delicate and gifted hands. For the first real time, Mingyu thought there was something in Wonwoo’s eyes that made it seem as if he didn’t know what was coming next, which made it all the better. 

“I’m really gonna miss you.” Wonwoo whispered.

“Who said I’m going anywhere?”

Mingyu lightly brought his arm back around, pressing his still slightly cold fingers from the lake water against his neck, closing the distance between them. Every kiss they had before was great, to say the least, but this one carried a unique sense of specialness. Their worlds collided and intertwined, breathing in the last of each other that they would for a few weeks, relishing in something they both dreamed of daily. Over the course of those ten weeks, so many things had happened, jumping from outlandish to brilliant to awkward.

One might think negatively of all of those varying memories mixed into one, but Mingyu recognized those exact memories—distinct and unchangeable—were what made that summer his. No, not just his actually. Theirs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to keep this a/n short and sweet, thanks again to everyone who read this story, commented, sharing with a friend, whatever it was, I really appreciate it. I know it could've been miles better, but hey, you gotta start somewhere right? I'm gonna miss Joyrenity as much as you guys, but hopefully you'll catch me in the Meanie tag again very soon! 
> 
> edit: wow...this fic recently hit 500 kudos and my heart just swelled so much seeing that. it's been well over a year since I finished this fic, but I'm so so grateful to anyone who has ever sat and read this whole entire mess. if i could do it over, i would change so many things, but it is what it is now. i wrote this fic as i was going through a difficult time towards the end of my senior year. thank you all for showing it such love and support. i never thought it would get anywhere near 500 kudos. if you're thinking of writing yourselves but don't know where to start, just jump in. if you are really passionate about a story you want to see exist, other people will see that and eventually be too. xx :)


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